Hearts Connected
by Haylestorm12
Summary: An alternate aftermath of the Season 2 finale.
1. Chapter 1

**Hearts Connected**

Elizabeth quickly tidied her desk and chalkboard to finish with her day. She was anticipating a pleasant afternoon spent in the company of Jack and could not wish for him to arrive any sooner. Thinking about him had become an obsession of late, especially his recent admission of love for her. Since that stormy day in the mine, her love for him had taken on a whole new dimension and rattled her to the core. She could finally admit to herself that she was completely in love. In love with Jack.

Putting away the chalkboard rag, Elizabeth's nerves jumped at the sound of the door opening. A slow smile spread across her face while butterflies swirled in her stomach, causing her to nervously turn around. She found herself face to face with a diamond. The late light of the afternoon sparkled off the solitary stone and caused Elizabeth's breath to catch in her chest.

'Charles, I…' Elizabeth tried to talk but felt completely off guard jarred by the sight of someone she hadn't given the slightest thought to in the past few weeks. Her hand flew to her chest to contain her shock.

She had been expecting someone else.

"Elizabeth Thatcher, will you marry me?"' He was down on one knee, holding the ring in its box at an awkward angle, in a pleading, desperate way.

"Oh my goodness. Charles...Um….What are you doing? Why are you doing this? This makes no sense." She spoke slow and confused, barely above a whisper.

'It makes perfect sense, Elizabeth. We are a perfect match, excellently suited for one another. We will make each other very happy. You must realize I am the man for you. Please do me the honor of being my wife." The look in his eyes was intense and focused, as if this were one more achievement he needed to check off his list of things to conquer.

Elizabeth winced and noticed movement out of the corner of her eye. She looked toward the open door and saw nothing but the road leading to town. Empty. She was yearning for Jack to show up and help diffuse this situation. She would prefer to handle this together.

"Elizabeth. Please. Don't keep a good man down on one knee for long. I do wish to hear you accept." He chuckled good-naturedly but she could tell he was becoming antsy with her lack of enthusiasm for his gesture.

"No Charles. I can't marry you. I do not love you. And I do not wish to be in a marriage where I must _learn_ to love my husband. Love must come first." She looked over his shoulder at the road. Still, no Jack.

"You're telling me you hold no feelings for me. At all?"

"My feelings do not extend past those of a dear friendship held since childhood. I've told you as much in the past couple of weeks." Elizabeth felt a stab of pity for this man who was once such a beloved and close friend and was sad that he was forcing her to make a fool out of him.

"But what about all of the special times we spent together on your recent trips to Hamilton? How can you deny that you knew exactly where we were steering our relationship?" He remained on one knee with the ring carefully perched within his fingertips.

"To be completely clear, Charles, I am in a courtship with Jack.. My feelings for him have never changed since returning from Hamilton. In fact, I'm more sure than ever that we belong together." Pride spread across her chest as she was freely able to admit her deepest held romantic feelings but a burning sense of shame at her actions towards Charles began to creep in.

Charles quickly stood up and coldly looked down upon Elizabeth. He carefully noted the determination in her eyes and conceded that he was not going to win her hand after all. He smirked.

"Very well then, Elizabeth. Enjoy your sordid little life in this pathetic little town. I'm sorry you can't see what's best for you." He looked her up and down once last time before turning sharply and walking bristly out the door. She stood at the doorway and watched him walk away, sure to watch him disappear out of sight before letting out a huge sigh of relief.

She then realized that Jack had still not arrived. She thought it very odd as Jack was very prompt and never late for plans. Even if he had been called away on Mountie business, he typically stopped in to tell her of his absence or would have someone bring her a message. Elizabeth got a very uneasy feeling in the pit of her stomach and realized something must be wrong for Jack to not be here.

She quickly grabbed her belongings, threw on her blue coat, and shut the door securely behind her, determined to find Jack and find out why he had left her waiting at the schoolhouse.

All the way to town, thoughts were racing through her head. Besides the obvious confusion about Jack's whereabouts, she slowly started to realize how Charles may have gotten the wrong impression from her from their time spent together at her family home. It explained all of the sideways glances that she caught from Abigail whenever Charles was mentioned and why Jack always seemed so tense when her time at home was brought up in conversation.

Realization quickly struck her as to what her situation must look like to those on the outside. A wealthy young single woman, purposefully courting attention from two eligible young bachelors. While seemingly enamoured with one Mountie, she had been secretly seeing a man more suited to her breeding. Basically, having her fun with Jack until it was time for her to move back home and take her position in Hamilton Society.

"Oh my goodness. I've made quite a mess of things, haven't I?" Elizabeth exhaled in one long, slow breath.

Then the thought struck her that Jack could have witnessed Charles' proposal. "Jack wouldn't just leave me though, would he? Surely he would have stepped in to tell Charles to leave me alone. Or at the very least, wait for me outside?" Her thoughts were starting to spill over her capacity to function straight and she began to walk faster to settle her uncertainties.

"He wouldn't have left if he didn't have good reason to believe I would accept." This realization hit her hard in her chest and made her desperate to seek Jack's whereabouts and try to set everything right between them.

The sound of an axe splitting through wood echoed from the distance as Elizabeth approached the jail. She noted Jack's horse was standing tethered to the post in front and felt her heart sink at the thought that he was still here instead of waiting for Elizabeth at the schoolhouse where he should have been.

"Not a good sign." Elizabeth thought to herself.

Elizabeth took tentative steps towards the back of the jail and was met with the sight of Jack powerfully swinging his axe through the air to cleanly slice through a large log. Judging by the size of the cut pieces piling up beside his work space, she deduced he had been here quite a while.

Moments passed and Elizabeth caught herself staring at the sight of him and quickly recalled the time shortly after their disastrous first meeting in the Saloon when she was walking home and was entranced by this very sight. Watching him in physical action always brought a rush of excitement to her as she was always struck by how quick and steady his movements were.

She slowly approached Jack from the front and waited patiently for him to notice her, agonizing at how long it took him to finally acknowledge her presence. "Something is definitely wrong." Elizabeth told herself.

"Um...Hi Jack." It was all Elizabeth could muster as a greeting. She looked hopeful.

He stood with the axe in his hand and she couldn't help but notice how he wasn't willing to set it down and focus his full attentions toward her.

"Did you forget about our plans today?" She raised her eyebrows inquisitively. "I was really looking forward to our ride." She thought it best to play it cool and act like nothing was amiss.

He stared stone-faced, subtly clenching his jaw to mask his true feelings. "No. I didn't forget Elizabeth." He held her gaze then took a step back and raised the axe in the air, swooping it down in one motion.

"Well...if you didn't forget then why are you here chopping wood for the entire town?" She tried to slip in a slight joke and act like she didn't know why he was acting like he was incredibly upset with her. Deep down, she knew he knew about the proposal. And she knew he probably blamed her for helping it get to this stage.

"Look...I…" She tried to start to explain what had happened.

Jack stood with the axe hanging casually in his left hand and waved her off with his right. "Don't worry Elizabeth…" he said her name so carefully. "You don't owe me an explanation. You don't owe me anything, actually." He sounded sincere. but made no motion towards her and maintained his rather cool demeanor toward her.

It took all of her energy to not fall apart right there as she wasn't prepared for the emotional roller coaster this day had become. She could feel their connection was broken and knew by looking at Jack that he wasn't in the frame of mind that could be reasoned with. He was letting his Mountie half play out this encounter by maintaining a professional and ultra-calm exterior. She felt that this was not the right time to share her side of the stor. As much as she wanted to beg for his understanding, begging was not an action Elizabeth was quite prepared to resort to. She decided to give him time and felt he would seek her out when he was ready.

"Wow. Look at the time...You know what? I actually have a lot assignments that need to be graded and Abigail is probably swamped right now so I should...maybe...I should just go." She turned abruptly as she felt a tear on the verge of spilling down her cheek, and took quick tentative steps away from him towards the main street. She steered her focus towards maintaining a calm exterior so as to not alert any townsfolk of her fragile emotional state. Goodness knows what rumors would start circulating if one were to see Elizabeth leaving Jack in such a distressed state!

She walked calmly but her mind was a swirl of activity, trying to think of what she was going to do. She looked around at the close-knit town and felt the suffocating pressure from her neighbours who seemed to monitor her and Jack's relationship like it was the only entertainment available.

Walking up the steps to her door, Elizabeth decided to go on the horse ride she had originally planned to take earlier. Only this time she would be riding solo. She mentally made a list of the items she needed to pack and completely did not notice Abigail until they bumped into one another at the door.

"Why Elizabeth. I thought you were taking a ride with Jack today after school. Back already?" Abigail beamed as Elizabeth quickly noted Pastor Frank following Abigail out the door. They were both holding fishing rods and a small travelling pack.

"Just getting a late start and grabbing my things. May be a little late tonight, Abigail, so don't wait up." Elizabeth smiled a warm trusting smile Abigail's way while hurrying past her friend to avoid her truth-finding stare. She knew she would be able to see through her and sense what she wasn't telling her.

Distracted by her company, Abigail threw Elizabeth a look that told her she knew she was in good hands and said "Hope you have a good night Elizabeth. See you in the morning." And the two of them walked off to their fishing hole, absorbed in each other's conversation.

Racing upstairs, Elizabeth quickly changed into her heavy tweed riding pants and matching jacket. It was getting slightly chilly out and she knew a late start would mean riding in cooler temperatures. She also grabbed her leather riding bag and stuffed her personal journal and pen inside in case she felt the need write down her thoughts. She always found writing helped give her perspective and insight into tough situations like the one she was facing.

Elizabeth made sure to stop in the kitchen where she filled her bag with baked goods and fruit that was readily available and stopped in the linen cupboard to pack a heavy blanket. Jack's riding lessons not only extended to the horse, but also subtle lessons about surviving in the wilderness and how to use what is available on the land. Skills that Jack had a profound knowledge of and liked to pass on to Elizabeth to further ensure her safety. Elizabeth's mind drifted back to those wonderful afternoons spent on the trails with Jack and felt proud of herself that she had been taught enough to feel comfortable by herself out there in such wild country.

She slowly opened the back door and peered out to make sure no one was in the vicinity before making her way to the stables where she proceeded to saddle her horse and bag. Elizabeth mounted the beautiful brown mare and made her way quietly out of town.

It wasn't until Elizabeth had passed the pond and the school house, making her way on recently discovered paths, that she let the unshed tears silently fall. Nobody but her and her horse here, she thought, and she freely allowed herself to cry over the unexpected outcome of the day.

``I feel like I have no say over my life sometimes``, Elizabeth thought. ``Most people in my life, since I was a child, have told me what is best for me and steered me to the outcomes they wanted.`` She felt sorry for herself, briefly, and realized that this action of controlling her life had spilled into the current mess she was in as one particular man thought he could eventually get her to do what he wanted, against anything she had to say on the matter. She felt powerless and controlled, which spurned her to increase her mare`s speed to a gallup.

The rhythmic thumping of the horse's hooves on the well-worn trail helped her thoughts progress to the point where she realized how horrible her actions in Hamilton were. Shame washed over her. Shame from her actions. Shame from her ability to think that the comfort she felt in Hamilton should deter her dreams out West. Shame at the thought that she could treat a man, a man she felt love for to the depths of her south, like a second-rate gentleman caller.

Elizabeth forced her mind to stop thinking about the day's events and simply focus on the path before her. With a child-like sense of wonder, she kicked her heels into the mare's sides and indicated she wanted to run full-speed.

The rush of freedom she felt at the surge of acceleration caused her worried thoughts to vanish and she simply let herself feel every movement of the horse beneath her. Before she knew it, the sun had made its last bow, creeping below the mountain skyline and turning the sky to a deep purple.

Elizabeth felt herself slightly shiver in a response to the diminishing warmth of the air around her and took in her surroundings, failing to recognize the trail she had been tearing down only moments earlier. She quickly realized she had been mindlessly travelling for almost 2 hours, judging by setting sun, and a felt a twinge panic at the prospect of her not being able to find the path home.

She brought the horse to a complete stop and craned her head around to see where she had come from and still felt no recognition of her whereabouts. She decided it best to turn around and at least retrace some of their travels and hopefully stumble upon a landmark or recognizable feature.

An hour later, tired from squinting into the darkness of the night, Elizabeth was exasperated at her ill-attempt to find the path that would lead her back to Hope Valley and started to think the best option would be to find a place to spend the night. She could build a little fire and wrap herself in the thick wool blanket she remembered to bring. She had enough food and water for the night and had an excellent danger-sensing horse to keep her company.

As her mare kept a solid walking pace along the path, Elizabeth saw the outline of a subtle worn shadow of a path into the forest which led up to an old, weathered cabin, tucked partly away behind a thick row of bushes. Elizabeth scanned the property for any signs of inhabitants, secretly hoping the tiny dwelling was empty, and was pleased that no signs of activity existed.

"Perfect timing." Elizabeth cried. She steered the horse down the path and stiffly dismounted, feeling the soreness from hours of saddle-time. Off to the side, hidden by thick bushes, was a small horse paddock with an old bale of hay and a trough for water. To the left of the enclosure was a green water pump.

"Thank-you!" Elizabeth exclaimed upwards and smiled at her luck. She had just stumbled upon the perfect little hide-a-way that was going to prevent her from having to sleep completely exposed to the wild around her.

Elizabeth busied herself with getting her horse settled for the night and then took her pack to the entrance of the cabin. Hesitantly, she opened the door and peered inside, happy to discover no rabid animal lurking in the corner or a deranged man-of-the-house.

She immediately set to scoping out her provisions and was relieved to see a small stack of firewood neatly piled beside the open fireplace. Scanning the room, she also found a cot tucked away in the corner, a wooden chair pushed up against the wall, and a small row of cupboards tacked to wall opposite the bed. A lone table stood under the cabinets.

Fumbling through her pack, Elizabeth pulled out her matches and immediately began to get a fire going. At this point, she was looking forward more to the light than the heat of the flames, but was sure she would be happy for the warmth once she could relax. Nursing the flame by lightly blowing on it, she managed to rouse the fire into action and eventually sat back on her heels and admired her work. A smile slowly worked its way across her mouth and she stretched her hands out to feel the fruits of her labor.

She pulled the cot into the middle of the room, directly in front of the fire, and laid down the blanket so that she could rest comfortably. It was then the events of that day came to the surface and she felt an immediate sense of unease. And exhaustion.

Laying down, staring into the fire, she cringed as she replayed the unexpected proposal through her memory and felt nauseous recalling the cold dismissiveness of Jack towards her. Elizabeth squeezed her eyes shut, trying to force the sickening feeling from her gut as she felt wholly responsible for Jack's reaction. She knew she deserved it and took this solitary opportunity to completely accept the guilt that rightfully resided within her.

Elizabeth hoped she could wake up early and make her way back to Hope Valley before Abigail noticed her absence. She yawned deeply and pulled the thick wool blanket up over her shoulders and drifted off to a dreamless sleep.

She couldn't be sure how long she had been asleep when she suddenly awoke to the subtle knocking at the front door. The dull thudding caused Elizabeth to gasp. She sat up, frozen, unable to move and respond. Flashes of being held captive by the Tolliver gang caused panic to surge in her chest and she looked around for something she could use as a weapon.

"Elizabeth. Elizabeth, it's me." His voice. Just hearing his voice caused all panic and fear to leave her body.

She quickly stood up and moved to open the door. Her eyes immediately locked on to his gaze and felt relief wash over her. The sheer sight of him made her briefly forget the current disarray of their predicament as a courting couple and instead she felt the familiar warmth of their strong friendship mixed with desire that his physical nearness incited.

"Jack." She stifled a yawn and pretended like she wasn't surprised to see him and acted like his appearance didn't phase her at all. "What are you doing here?"

"Elizabeth!" He loudly scolded her. "What were you thinking? You know the dangers of riding alone at night! And Abigail! She's worried sick!" He was angry. And in Mountie-mode. His eyebrows had become knotted and he looked like he was ready to haul her off to jail.

"What was I thinking? I was thinking I couldn't bear to be in the same vicinity as someone, who, only a week earlier, had told me we could face anything together and then proceeded to completely disregard his own declaration!" She met his anger dead-on and unleashed hours worth of built-up angst back at him.

She locked on to his gaze in a stone-like standstill, each other's pride too wounded to allow them to see past their frustration. Elizabeth winced at the thought that it had turned into a battle of such a petty emotion.

Suddenly, Jack released a long-held breath, and she saw his shoulders and back relax as a result. He looked at her with a look of pain and happiness combined, reeling from their current broken-ness and nearness all at once.

Elizabeth felt the air stir with Jack's close proximity to her as he took a subtle step further into her personal space. Space she would gladly share with him any time of the day. He reached out and grabbed her hand, lightly squeezing it as it rested beside her thigh. He looked into her eyes as if he wished to speak but closed the distance by pulling her into an embrace with his free arm. He buried her head in the crook of his neck while freeing his hand and bringing it around to cradle her head.

Elizabeth felt his breaths heavy as her chest was crushed against the gold buckles of his black overcoat. She immediately understood how worried he was at her absence and felt more guilt added on to the burden she was already carrying.

"I'm sorry Jack. For everything. I swear. I never meant for any of it to happen." She felt the sobs returning and she hoped he could understand her apology was more for the incident at the schoolhouse rather than her disappearance for the night.

Jack brought his forehead down to rest upon her's and cradled her cheek in his hand. "I'm sorry too. I shouldn't have treated you so coldly." He kissed her on the forehead and looked down into her eyes.

"I went to the schoolhouse to meet you for our ride and saw Charles on one knee, proposing." She felt his thumb lightly caressing the tears away from her cheek. "I panicked." His gaze moved to the dying embers of the fire and he continued. "The thought of losing you. Losing you to him...it got to me. And I let myself believe that you were going to accept his offer."

Jack brought his gaze back to meet Elizabeth's and he saw the sadness and guilt emanating from her. She slowly brought his hand up and placed it on her chest, resting it gently over her heart.

"Jack. I could never accept his proposal. He is not the man I want to spend my life with." Her look was imploring him to believe her. Make him truly understand how he was the only man for her.

"That's it though, Elizabeth. I know that. I do. I feel the same way about you." His face was still filled with pangs of what appeared to be shame. Much like to moment he came to apologize to Elizabeth about Billy Hamilton, the afternoon the Noonan twins were born, Elizabeth thought.

"But I think I let my fears control my heart" Jack slowly continued. "I've been burned once before, and it took me a long time to accept Rosemary's rejection of me. And this time...it was a thousand times worse than that!" His hand remained hovered over Elizabeth's heart as she maintained her eye contact with him.

"I know Jack. And for that, I am truly ashamed and sorry." Elizabeth looked down at their intertwined hands and pressed them feverously against her chest. "I should have been so much more considerate of your feelings. I've wronged you and I wholeheartedly understand why you are upset about everything that's happened."

Jack brought her into another close embrace while keeping his hand intertwined with hers. He buried his head in her hair and took a deep breath, savouring this moment with her.

"I love you Elizabeth. So much. It scares me how much." She could feel the words he spoke as whispers against her neck, sending electric shocks along her skin.

Elizabeth pulled away slightly and noticed his eyes were moist with emotion. She brought her hand gently up to his face and let one tear cascade over her thumb.

"Oh Jack. I love you more than I ever thought possible to love a man. I need you to know that." Their eyes were locked and she could see the desire for her building behind his stare.

Letting go of common courting protocols, Elizabeth brought her face up to meet his and kissed him deeply. Even though it was commonly thought that the man should initiate this type of intimacy, Elizabeth didn't care and let her feelings guide her movements.

Jack responded to her boldness and crushed her body solidly against his, holding her firmly at her waist. He gently slid his hand to her lower back and cupped her head with his free hand, deepening the kiss and ultimately taking control of its intensity, which sent Elizabeth into an abyss of passion. This kiss was sending shockwaves through her body and roused a burning sensation in the depths of her belly. She wrapped her arms around his neck and pressed herself further into him, effectively trying to eliminate any space separating their bodies.

Inspired by the heat of the moment, Jack pushed her back against the door and continued to let his fervor for her override what was considered proper behaviour for an unmarried couple. It didn't help that Elizabeth met his passion head on and showed him how deeply her feelings ran. Her hands started to unbutton his jacket, pushing it to the floor, enciting Jack into further need for her.

As she caressed her hands over his broad chest, feeling his strength beneath this flannel shirt, she started to mindlessly undo the buttons. Jack let out a small groan as her hands lightly touched his skin, tiny pinpricks that helped snap him back to rational thought. He pulled himself suddenly away from their entanglement.

"You make me crazy. You know that right?" He was breathing heavily and flashed her a dimpled grin, trying to regain control over his actions.

"I think I can relate." Her lips were swollen from their furious affections, her chest heaving deeply. She reached up to continue her assault on his lips, clearly not thinking rationally, when he gently grabbed her shoulders and kept her at arm's' length.

"Elizabeth. We need to stop. This is going too far and I mustn't let this go any further." He looked at her pleadingly, trying to convey that this was not because he necessarily _wanted_ to stop. Just that it wasn't appropriate. And Jack was not the type of man to tarnish his or Elizabeth's integrity or reputation.

"I know what we _should_ do, but it doesn't help that it's not necessarily what I _want_ to do." She gently closed her eyes and tried to make sense of the overflow of passion she was currently feeling, tempering it with the realization that Jack was right.

They needed to slow down.

"I'll let you off the hook this time, Constable. But please do understand how hard it is for me to resist you." She looked at him coyly, unsure as to how he would take her bold remark and was relieved when he smiled shyly at her statement.

"Are you saying you want me to make an honest woman of you, Elizabeth Thatcher?" He grinned knowingly, sure that his question would fluster her.

Elizabeth's eyes widened in shock and she was momentarily speechless. "No. I'm not saying that necessarily." Jack enjoyed watching her squirm. He especially liked how easy it was to fall back into a comfortable banter with this woman.

"Ummm…" Elizabeth continued hesitantly "I guess I _am_ saying that I want you make an honest woman of me _someday_. I think we have moved past the point of early courtship and I would like confirmation that your intentions with me are honourable and you picture a future with me in it."

She looked up at him hopeful, yet slightly reserved at the subject that had just been brought up. She had been secretly hoping to find a chance to gently broach this subject with Jack and thought there was no better time than now.

Jack reached for her left hand and gently brought his lips to meet the back, maintaining his intense gaze with her big blue eyes. "My intentions towards you have always been nothing but honourable, Miss Thatcher." Elizabeth was so absorbed in his romantic gesture that she failed to notice Jack reaching into his shirt pocket.

Jack then slowly placed a kiss on the inside of her wrist and moved to place his lips on her neck, directly below her ear, never releasing his hold on her left hand.

"What if we agreed that that someday could be today?" Jack breathed into the small, sensitive spot before bringing his lips gently to the same mark.

As Jack whispered these words and used his lips to electrify her senses, Elizabeth felt something cold and solid being slid onto her ring finger. Realization brought her out of her reverie and she looked down in awe at the diamond that returned her disbelieving stare.

"Oh my goodness Jack! I wasn't prepared for this...I...I...oh my! I can't breathe." Elizabeth brought her hand to her mouth in complete awestruckness.

Kneeling on one leg, Jack continued to hold her hand and looked up charmingly towards his stunned companion. "I have been planning on asking you for quite a while. My attempts today were thwarted by another and I felt I couldn't ask you so soon after...but...The truth is..if this…"

At this Jack stopped, nodded and widened his eyes to indicate their recent passionate encounter…"I feel that I was born loving you, like it was something that already existed and we just had to meet to remember that. Or something along those lines...you sparked something in my soul the first time I met you." Elizabeth noticed a slight blush while his eyes fluttered and he looked down, as if remembering something. He continued.

"If this is how we truly feel for one another, I don't see why it makes any sense to wait longer than necessary." He smiled broadly, and brought his gaze up to meet hers.

"I love you Elizabeth Thatcher and am asking if you will be my wife." He looked at her truthfully, confident in his proposal.

"Jack!" Elizabeth exclaimed. "Yes. A million times yes!" Tears started to flow from her eyes freely, revealing the instant happiness she felt at the question just asked of her. She threw her arms around his neck as he stood up and lifted her up off her feet, relishing her reaction to his proposal.

Setting her down carefully, Elizabeth brought her hand up to admire the ring Jack had chosen for her. Her breath caught in her throat as she gazed upon the ring that represented the physical manifestation of Jack's love for her, noting the simplicity and elegance it exuded.

"Oh Jack." She cupped his cheek with her left hand and brought her lips up to meet his, gingerly tugging at this bottom lip. "Yes." She whispered as their lips continued to seek each other.

Elizabeth began to deepen the kiss but was stopped abruptly by her now Fiance.

"Elizabeth. We may be engaged, but I don't believe it gives us clearance to act upon our feelings fully... _yet_." She noticed his slight smile and was envious at his ability to keep his feelings in check.

"Of course, Constable. You're right. I don't know what could have come over me just now!" She gave him a knowing look and burst into a small laughter at the moment they were sharing. "I will say, however.." she grabbed the lapels of his shirt and faced him dead on.. "I do hope we can agree on a suitable date for our wedding as I don't fancy a prolonged engagement." She looked up at him, hoping he understood what she was trying to convey.

"I'm not one for prolonged engagements either." His hands came around to the small of her back and he pressed her to him. "I would marry you this second, if that's what you wanted. So don't be shy about setting a date." He kissed her then, unleashing his desire for her in one solid meeting of their lips. He held her close as he felt his affect on her, steadying her quivering body.

"For now, though, we should really get some rest so we can get an early start tomorrow. If we leave just before sunrise, we should be able to make it back in time for Abigail's first batch of biscuits." He led her to the cot and indicated she should lay down and rest.

Jack then threw some more logs onto the fire and went outside to retrieve his own blanket and proceeded to arrange it on the floor directly between the cot and the roaring fire. As he was about to lay down, Elizabeth sat up and looked at Jack. "I know it's not necessarily 'proper' but...I'd like to sleep beside my future husband tonight. For warmth, of course. No other reason." A look of innocence was playing on Elizabeth's face but she knew he would see right through her act.

He instantly pulled her down and tucked himself around her from behind, pulling her blanket over top. Her head rested on his outstretched arm while they lay in silence, staring at the flames dancing in the fireplace.

"You know. Besides this cold hard floor beneath us, I look forward to getting used to this." Elizabeth sighed as she snuggled into his warmth, loving the way his body molded around hers.

"You have no idea." Jack replied with a grin, loving the feeling of her warm, soft curves nestled into him. He propped himself up on one arm and gently kissed her cheek. "Sleep tight. I'll be sure to wake you in a couple of hours."

Elizabeth, feeling safe and secure, drifted off to sleep while Jack took time to admire his fiance lying in his arms. As much as he didn't want this night to end, he looked forward to their plans for the future and slowly drifted off while envisioning a happy ending for the two of them.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter Two

Elizabeth struggled to open her heavy eyelids as she was gently roused from her deep sleep by a soft nudge at her shoulder. And a voice she was always pleased to hear.

"Elizabeth. It's time to go." Jack was talking softly, cognizant of her sleepy state. "The horses are all ready and we really need to get going if we're going to make it back to town in time."

Elizabeth sat up and tried to concentrate on her present situation, still blurry around the edges, but slowly recalled the sweet events of only hours earlier. She felt the hard metal with her left thumb and looked down and smiled. "Thank god it wasn't a dream" she thought to herself.

Jack was standing and offering her his hand, looking down upon Elizabeth with an expression she was most familiar with. He wore the look of a man on duty, rather than the man who had, the night before, been so incensed with love for her that he asked her to be his wife.

She reached up and took Jack's hand of assistance and stood directly in front of him, her face mere inches from his. She stood on her toes and gently kissed him square on his lips before stating "Good morning Constable. I trust you had a good sleep last night?" Smiling, she turned and gathered her bag and blanket but was stopped when she felt Jack's arm lightly encircle her waist, pulling her into him from behind.

He lightly brushed her hair away from her neck and gently placed his lips below her ear, immediately finding the spot that sent warm chills down her spine. "Good morning Miss Thatcher." He spoke softly next to her ear which added to her arousal for him. "I had a great sleep. And I hope to have many more of them...preferably after I can get you home safely and undetected by our fellow neighbours. I'd rather not have to explain where we were last night." As he spoke the last words he subtly grabbed Elizabeth's waist and turned her around to face him, flashing her a dimpled smile. "Let's go."

An hour later, as the sun's rays were seeping over the eastern horizon, turning the crisp fall morning sky to a deep pink, Elizabeth and Jack quietly made their way into town and returned the horses to the stables.

"I'll stop by for a coffee and see you soon. But first, I need to get these two settled." He gestured towards their horses.

Elizabeth felt the familiar pangs of gratitude for this man who had always managed to be there for her when she most needed him. From saving her from an errant gopher snake in her classroom to the more serious incidents of being held at gunpoint, twice, Jack always managed to appear and restore order to her life. This situation was no different and felt amazement towards whatever force was responsible for putting him in her path.

Elizabeth hurried over to Jack and wrapped her arms around his neck, oblivious to their surroundings and potential witnesses. She rested her head against his chest and brought her left hand down to intertwine with his, savouring these last moments of intimacy with him. Elizabeth knew that even though engaged, it would still be a challenge finding opportunities to be alone with Jack and that their respective careers required them to behave according to societal expectations. It wasn't until they were married when they could both act more freely on their physical attraction for one another. "Yet another reason I can't wait to marry him" Elizabeth thought.

Jack leaned in and kissed Elizabeth's forehead, gently nudging her in the direction of the cafe. "You'd better hurry Elizabeth. I don't want to have to explain this…"

With that Elizabeth smiled sweetly at Jack, released her hold from him and scurried off down the dirt road toward the cafe. As she approached the steps, she noticed the light on in the kitchen and realized Abigail must already be busy working on the morning's baked goods. She steadied herself at the door, thinking of how she was going to explain this situation to her best friend.

The sound of the door opening startled Abigail who turned suddenly and was met by the sight of Elizabeth in the same attire she was wearing the day before. "Elizabeth! I'm so glad you're ok. Of course, I knew with Jack out looking for you, you would be, but it is still nice to see you make it home in one piece." She gave her a glance with her eyebrows raised which told Elizabeth she had been worried and now relieved at her appearance.

"I am very sorry for worrying you, Abigail, I never intended to be gone for as long as I was. I had a lot to think about and lost track of time." Elizabeth then proceeded to explain yesterday's events from the beginning, starting with Charles surprising her with a proposal, to Jack's coldness afterwards, to what made her decide to make a solo attempt at horse riding too close to dusk. She was careful to omit last night's sleeping arrangements and the most wonderful part of her night, their engagement.

"I'm sorry you were put in such a difficult situation by Charles and hope your refusal of marriage will help him finally understand that he needs to leave you alone. Did you tell Jack about it?"

Elizabeth was somewhat shocked that Abigail asked her such a question. She was again struck by the shame she had felt yesterday regarding the inappropriateness of her relationship with Charles, especially since her best friend in Hope Valley had to question her with regards to her ability to be candid and truthful with those who mattered most to her here. "Yes. Jack knows. And I completely understand why you feel the need to question me on the matter. I am deeply ashamed of my actions with Charles, as much as my intentions were never beyond friendship, I see how my naivety gave Charles a skewed impression of my feelings for him." She sat down at the table and sullenly looked away from her friend, trying to calm the guilt that was creeping into her thoughts, again.

Abigail softly smiled and sat down directly beside Elizabeth, noting the pain that was working its way into her gentle features. She grabbed her hand and was about to console her when she felt the cold, hard diamond pressing itself into the palm of her hand.

"Elizabeth!" Abigail exclaimed. "Is this what I think it is?"

Elizabeth blushed and smiled broadly, letting out a small squeal of excitement. "Yes. Jack proposed last night!" She brought her hands up in front of her mouth to contain her excitement while Abigail reached out to offer a congratulatory hug.

Abigail pulled away and exclaimed "I'm so happy for you Elizabeth. I had heard through our wonderful network of Hope Valley residents that Jack had bought a ring for you and am relieved that he didn't let Charles' gesture derail him. He sure is a keeper, if you ask me."

"Yes, he most definitely is…" Elizabeth responded proudly. "So the least I can do is make him some breakfast." She then busied herself in the kitchen preparing a special thank-you for her newly-appointed fiance.

Fifteen minutes later, with the cafe bustling with Saturday-morning customers, Elizabeth and Abigail busily tended to the needs of their patrons. Noting the time, Elizabeth obsessively kept checking the entrance for any sign of Jack and was delighted when she caught sight of him entering through the back door. He appeared wearing his red jacket,and she quickly deduced he would be busy for the rest of the day with work commitments. Her heart sunk.

"Good morning ladies." Jack greeted both Abigail and Elizabeth. "How are my two favourite Hope Valley women today?"

Abigail spun around and quickly grabbed Jack into a friendly embrace. "Congratulations Jack. Your taste in diamonds and women are quite exceptional." She coyly winked at him before resuming her tasks and noted out of the corner of her eye Elizabeth's surprised look.

"Working today, are you Constable?" Elizabeth chided, hoping for him to close the gap between the two of them, craving his presence to the degree of closeness they were able to achieve last night.

"Yes, unfortunately I have to make my rounds out to Rock Creek today. Seems there have been some issues with theft in the area and they need my assistance investigating." He looked intently at Elizabeth and reached into his inner pocket to retrieve something. "I _also_ came to deliver this telegram to you and to wish you a good rest of your day." Jack leaned in quickly and kissed Elizabeth on her cheek.

Reaching for the telegram, Elizabeth looked into Jack's eyes and felt disappointment at his impending departure. "I hope you have time for breakfast, at least." She proceeded to pull a free chair out from the table and gestured for him to sit. "It's the least I can do to thank you for last night." Jack hesitantly sat down, not sure who was preparing his meal. He was stunned to watch as Elizabeth assembled a plate quickly and effortlessly, noting the food on his plate actually appeared to be somewhat appetizing.

"I know what you're thinking Jack." She looked at him knowingly. "It may have taken a year, but I've actually learned to cook a decent breakfast." She grabbed a mug and filled it with steaming coffee from the copper urn. As she brought it back to the table, Jack had pulled out the chair next to him and was happily enjoying the fruits of her labour.

"Sit with me." He gestured for her to join him.

Elizabeth sat down and looked upon him willingly eating a meal she had prepared. Pride crept in and spread through her chest, feeling satisfied that she could do something nice for him for a change.

"What does your telegram say?" Jack asked, pulling her from her thoughts.

Temporarily forgetting about her urgent letter, Elizabeth opened the envelope and felt her heart sink at its words:

YOUR TRAIN TO HAMILTON HAS BEEN BOOKED FOR OCT 15 DEPARTURE. REHEARSAL DINNER OCT 19. FAMILY IS EXCITED FOR YOUR ARRIVAL.

"Oh my goodness!" Elizabeth exclaimed, bringing her hand up to her mouth.

"What's wrong? Is it your mother? Is she OK?" Jack asked, concern for her apparent in his look.

"I can't believe I almost forgot about my own sister's wedding!" Elizabeth held her head in her hands and looked down at the table as dread for the impending visit slowly crept in. She had been so distracted by work and spending time with Jack that her plans of returning to Hamilton for Viola's wedding to Sir Lionel had completely escaped her.

She expectantly looked towards Jack, looking for any way to look forward to the approaching journey. "Any chance you want to join me? " Elizabeth knew without a doubt what his answer would be.

"I'm sorry Elizabeth. As much as I hate to see you leave and me miss the wedding of the century, I can't take any more time off. Plus...I will need to request more time off once _we_ set a date." He looked at her like they were sharing a secret only the two of them knew the meaning of. He noticed her subtle widening of her eyes with his last statement.

"I know. And completely understand." Elizabeth felt a blush spreading across her cheeks as she heard him speak about their intended nuptials and felt very selfish, suddenly, at having just asked him to sacrifice even _more_ time for _her_ family.

Jack brushed Elizabeth's hand lightly as he rose from the table and held his hand out in a gesture for her to take it. She eased her hand into his solid grasp.

"Will you walk me out?"

Elizabeth took his hand and let him lead her out of the parlour and out the back door to the porch. He closed the door and immediately reached out to grab each of her hands in his and looked at her imploringly. "Elizabeth. I'm actually scheduled to be out in Rock Creek until Thursday so I won't see you until just before you have to leave."

"Really? You`ll be gone for a couple of _days_?" Her brow furrowed at the news and she felt disappointed at the prospect of not seeing him for the next couple of days. She had been looking forward to sneaking in as much alone time with him as possible and her body reeled upon the consideration that she would only be seeing him _once_ more in the next three weeks.

"When I get back we can spend as much time discussing all of those details and questions that I'm sure are swirling around in your head. But. For now. I really do need to leave." Jack reached out and closed the distance separating their bodies as he deftly pulled Elizabeth into his embrace. He buried his face into her hair and deeply inhaled, desperate to bottle up as much of her essence as possible.

"I love you. And will most definitely miss you." He spoke deliberately, but softly, in Elizabeth's ear and the reverberations were felt down her spine as she tensed and looked up into his eyes.

"Well...I will miss you. And most definitely love you." She replied, turning her gaze into a reassuring look that told him she understood his job could sometimes be unpredictable and require time apart. It also tried to show him that she was completely in love with him and and wanted him to kiss her as soon as possible.

He smiled down at her and moved in to capture her bottom lip for a sweet, prolonged kiss and attempt to stop time and remain in this moment as long as possible.

Elizabeth moaned and grabbed his face between her hands in an effort to pull herself away and face their inevitable separation. She was also extremely aware that they were highly visible to anyone passing by. "Stay safe Jack. I'll see you Thursday."

He shyly smiled and straightened himself upright, affixing his Mountie hat on his head. "See you Thursday." He gave her that knowing glance he used whenever they parted on good terms, something that was less common in the early days of their growing friendship, but was now a habit that was becoming more natural to elicit.

Elizabeth stood on the porch and watched while Jack mounted his horse and rode off down Main Street, leaving her cold and shivering in his wake. She took a deep breath and thought about how she was going to fill her time while Jack was gone and remembered all of the preparations she would need to address for her trip back to Hamilton. And the wedding preparations. Pretty soon, the mountain of tasks and decisions required of her in the next few weeks were swirling in her head to the point where she let out a big sigh.

She gently chuckled, recalling Jack's earlier comment about being able to talk about all of these things on Thursday. When he returned.

"He knows me better than anybody." Elizabeth quietly spoke to herself as she retreated from the porch and busied herself with the necessary preparations for the week.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter Three

Elizabeth paced repetitively around her bedroom, glancing out the window each time she neared it, hoping to catch Jack arriving home. It had been a busy week assembling her varied course material that she would be passing off to the woman kind enough to fill in for her while she was in Hamilton. Even though Elizabeth had cut the trip as short as possible, it still required her to be away from Hope Valley for ten whole days! Ten long tedious days, half of which were spent travelling, but a long time nonetheless.

She mentally ticked off her to-do list, ensuring she had accomplished everything she had intended to. Elizabeth chuckled as the thought of Rosemary and what she envisioned would be an interesting week for the children. They had agreed to meet in the middle with Rosemary sticking to Elizabeth's prepared course material in the mornings and be free to teach drama and music each afternoon. She knew from reading many science journals that music actually helped children learn and was secretly pleased that Rosemary would be able to facilitate such an enriching environment for the children.

As much as Elizabeth wasn't fully prepared to admit it, Rosemary had grown on her since returning from her last stint in Hamilton. Now that Lee was there for Rosemary and provided an outlet for her larger-than-life personality, Elizabeth no longer felt she was a threat to her and Jack's relationship. "Besides." Elizabeth thought. "She has a good heart. And I can't blame her for not wanting to let Jack go."

The sound of a horse's trotting steps pulled Elizabeth away from her mental checklist and she raced to the window to catch the sight of Jack's back as he slowed in front of the Mountie Headquarters, a place he also called home,. "Not for long though…" She realized as she quickly grabbed her heavy jacket and scarf, racing down the stairs as quickly as possible all the while highly anticipating welcoming him home.

"Jack!" Elizabeth exclaimed somewhat breathlessly as she slowly ran towards him,unknowingly smiling a broad grin. Her eyes drowned in the sight of him, pleased to see he looked much the same as when he left, except for the scruff of beard that had grown on his face. While she couldn't deny how handsome and manly it made him appear, she also noted the tell-tale signs of exhaustion written on his face. He still managed to flash her a beautiful smile and took his hat off while approaching her.

"Elizabeth. You don't know how _good_ it is to see you." The emphasis on good was music to her ears. He pulled her into a solid grasp and held her close, his warmth a pleasant change from the brisk northern air currently settled in the valley.

"I missed you so much." Elizabeth pulled away slightly and looked up into his eyes. She brought her hand up to to rest on the side of his face and tried to gently ease away his fatigue with the stroke of her thumb.

His lips quickly touched hers, softly at first but quickly deepened in intensity once the effects of their touch registered within their subconscious. Elizabeth completely relaxed and surrendered herself into his arms, loving the way his supportive hold felt gentle yet highly protective, and felt a week's worth of longing starting to surface. Jack must have noticed it within himself as he was the one to gently pull away and compose himself in such a public place.

He nodded his head towards the door and asked "Would you like some tea? We can sit out on the porch and watch the sky. It seems we are being blessed with quite a treat tonight." He made a motion to the door but Elizabeth quickly stopped him, intrigued.

"What do you mean?" She looked at him when she noticed him break her gaze to look directly up and found herself mesmerized by dancing, flickering lights of green and purple blazing across the black sky of night.

"Oh my goodness. Jack! Are those what I think they are?" She looked like a small child with unabashed amazement on her face.

"If you are referring to the Northern Lights...that would be them. And judging by your reaction ,I sense you've never seen them before?" He asked, confused.

"No. Never. Hamilton is not quite high enough on the latitude scale to welcome such an enchanting sight." Elizabeth's gaze was drawn sky-high as Jack wrapped his arm around her waist and stood in awe at the heavenly show.

Elizabeth broke the spell when she glanced towards Jack and noticed just how tired he was. "How about I go and make that tea while you unpack and get changed out of that uniform. Can I help with anything else in the meantime?" She looked at him, hoping he would accept her offer.

"Remember to ask me that when we're married." Jack said in a serious tone and raised his eyebrows, but immediately looked down and softly laughed, hoping his comment had the impression he intended. "For now, though, I can handle it."

Elizabeth blushed but let out a soft laugh of understanding at Jack's statement and proceeded to gather the necessary items to steep a pot of tea. As she found the items she needed, she was highly attuned to the movements Jack made behind her back and resisted the urge to spy on him as she heard the familiar sounds of clothes being removed and dropped to the ground.

She stood shyly in front of the stove, staring intently at the warming pot, when she felt his hands grab her softly at her shoulders and turn her around. He was wearing a plaid shirt under his heavy navy coat. Elizabeth thought he looked amazing in everything he put on.

"Shall we?" He was holding a quilt draped over his arm. More specifically, he had grabbed the quilt he slept with on his bed, and was bringing it out for her comfort. It was a gesture that registered sweetly for Elizabeth as she considered one's blanket a very personal item.

"Yes." She grabbed Jack by his arm and let him lead her out to to a chair on the porch. As he gently laid the quilt around her legs and tucked in the sides, Elizabeth stifled a laugh.

"What?" Jack asked, surprised.

"Nothing."

"No seriously. What?"

"I should be doing this for _you_...judging by the lack of sleep you've so obviously had." Her hand was drawn to envelop his in her grasp. "Please, sit. And relax. I want to you to tell me how your week was. Anything you can share?"

Jack sat down slowly and looked deep in thought, a far-away look in his eyes. He looked over at her. "No. Not really. I'm sorry." He looked at her truly apologetic.

"Well...what about the ride. How was that?" She asked, genuinely interested in his reply.

"Oh that. Well...that's always the best part. The weather was beautiful, I found a lot of excellent fishing holes for next summer, and some breathtaking places to camp."

"Well maybe, next summer, you could show me some of those breathtaking places?" She asked slowly.

Jack looked at her curiously and smiled. "That sounds like a plan. Now, tell me, how was your week? You manage to keep yourself busy?"

"Of course, Jack. I had a lot of planning to do. And packing. But I think I have everything covered, so far." Elizabeth suddenly remembered the tea and stood up to retrieve it. As she carefully carried it out to the porch she was surprised to find that Jack had moved the table separating the two chairs to the side so they could sit next to each other. He was still standing and gestured for her to sit and laughed happily as he set about tucking in the quilt, again.

He took his seat and proceeded to pour each of them a cup of tea, handing Elizabeth her's first. "Did you figure out a date yet?" He asked nonchalantly, as if this was not the first time he had questioned their plans for marriage.

Caught off guard, Elizabeth took a moment to collect her thoughts. "Yes. No...Well. I think so. I was thinking sometime over the Christmas break would work. That would give us over two months to prepare and I'd be on a school break. But, of course, I want you to tell me if you think that's a good time?" She steadied her cup and took a hesitant sip, careful not to burn her tongue.

"Elizabeth. You don't need me to tell you yes or no. I've already told you I would marry you anytime, anywhere, so I'm leaving this completely up to you" He raised his arm and rested it gently around her shoulders, subtly pressing her side into him.

"Okay. Well. I can check that item off the list then. Have you thought about where we are going to live? Hope Valley surely can't have a surplus of homes for rent, does it? " She inquired, raising her eyebrows and turning to bring her eyes to meet with his. "This has had me the most worried this week."

"What, more worried than thinking about having to return home and tell your parents you agreed to marry me? I'm sure this is not nearly as nerve-wracking for you." She felt him gently squeeze her further into his depths while he reached for his tea with this free hand.

"You got me there Jack. I guess I don't really care if we have to live here, of all places, but you're right." Elizabeth focused her gaze towards the waning dance of the light fading into the starry night. "I know my parents are disappointed that I don't live my life the way they wish I would. But... it's still disappointment... and it kills me that people can look at my life and see a failure? It makes no sense to me."

Jack sat quietly by her side and pressed his cheek to the top of her head, silently coaxing her to continue. "Most parents would be proud of their daughter, but mine seem to be more concerned about who they can marry me off to. I always knew they had grand expectations of who I should marry, and I'm a little shocked at how they favor Charles Hamilton over the multitude of British noblemen looking for an heiress to marry. An heiress who will save their royally appointed titles in the process." The distaste in her voice ran thick.

Jack had never heard Elizabeth speak so candidly about her life prior to moving out west to pursue her dreams. He assumed she was highly sought-after but never imagined it was at the level that she had just revealed. He felt suddenly sad for Elizabeth as he realized how deeply affected she was by her parents dismissal of her new life and couldn't recognize the significant impact she was making on many children's lives.

"Is that what caused you to choose teaching school? So you could get away?" His concern was strongly felt by Elizabeth and she slowly smiled.

"No. I wanted to be a teacher since as far back as I can remember. And then I met my aunt, Elizabeth, actually, when I was eight and meeting her made the dream so much more enticing."

"Wait...you have an Aunt Elizabeth?" I'm confused." He smiled good-naturedly.

"Yes. She came out west years ago to teach and told it in such fine detail that I couldn't help but be convinced it would be an amazing adventure. If you think about it, it's pretty much the only thing a young lady can leave home by herself to do…"

"Wait...So... you have an aunt with the same name, and she is also a teacher?" That is quite a coincidence!"

Elizabeth held her tongue to prevent her from adding yet another coincidence to the mix, like how her Aunt met and fell in love with a handsome Mountie. "Yes. Quite." Elizabeth scrambled to change subjects but was beaten to the punch by Jack.

"Are you prepared to see Charles while you are back home?" His question was direct and sounded like he had been waiting for an opportunity to get to the point. She would bet on the fact that he had been rehearsing this question around in his head since he left.

"Yes. I assume he will be around. But...I'll have nothing to do with him." She scrunched up her face in a physical response to imagining coming face to face with him again.

"Elizabeth. It's understandable that you will come into contact with Charles again. Especially at something like your sister's wedding and…"

"Jack?" Elizabeth cut him off, desperate to address her guilt. "Do you forgive me?"

"Forgive you? For what?" Jack replied.

"For letting things with Charles get to the point that they did." She looked away suddenly and fought back tears she did not want Jack to see.

"Elizabeth...I would be lying if I told you I never once doubted your conduct with Charles. I know all too well what it's like to have known someone since childhood and what feelings arise when seeing that person again after a long time. But I know that you love me... and I also know that you are a very honorable woman who would never jeopardize her reputation."

"And just how do you know me that well, Jack?" Elizabeth looked at him coyly, and masked a deep flattery from his compliment.

"I told you. I'm good at what I do I had you pegged since the first time we met, I've already told you as much." He grinned and effectively stifled a laugh.

Elizabeth simply giggled at Jack's chiding and she punched him playfully in his arm.

"Are you coming to see me off tomorrow?" Elizabeth looked at him expectantly, confident in his reply.

"Of course. And tomorrow morning...I will make you breakfast. For once." Elizabeth snuggled in closer, as close as the armrests between them would allow comfortably.

"Really? You'll cook for me? Interesting." She looked at him as if she were assessing an opponent.

"Really. And then I am going to judge whose breakfast was better." His face lit up in genuine humor and was enjoying the reaction it was inciting in Elizabeth.

"Are you challenging me, Mr. Thorton? Because... you'd better be prepared to lose." Elizabeth's sat up straight and looked Jack square in the eyes, staring him down with determined look

"I'd hardly call your attempt last weekend worthy of the winner." He scoffed playfully.

"Well I still get another chance. You _just_ declared a contest so now I get another chance. I can't wait to beat you." She said in all seriousness.

Jack met her intense stare and whispered "That's what I'm hoping for" as he moved his head in for a kiss. Elizabeth stopped him, held him closely at bay and sighed noticeably.

"I'm really going to miss you, Jack. " She looked down at her fingers at it rubbed at the edge of her coat.

"I know. Me too." Jack's somber tone mimicked hers.

"And I can't wait to be your wife." Elizabeth leaned in and pressed her lips into his, startled by the prickly sensation his stubble created. She stopped the kiss and looked at him again, running a hand against his rough scruff. "Hmmmm...I kind of like it."

"Well then...enjoy it now because tomorrow it disappears." He playfully taunted, eager for the response it garnered from this woman who was clearly in love with what she was looking at. She then brought his lips to his, boldly seeking him out as wrapped her arms around his neck and lightly ran her fingers through the back of his hair. Elizabeth's breathing came heavier and she pried her lips from his, a tingling sensation coursing through her veins.

She rested her forehead against his and sat back in her chair, taking a moment to let her body return to normal. Letting out a slow breath of air, she raised her eyebrows in Jack's direction and smiled.

"I have a reputation to uphold, Constable. Perhaps we should pass the time together in another manner?" She asked him innocently and fell into comfortable laughter. He held her hand and settled into his chair, comfortable in her silent presence, each savouring these last moments together.


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter Four

The train rattled along the rails, quickly approaching Elizabeth's final destination. Hamilton was slowly appearing in the far off distance as Elizabeth rested her head against the window, anxiety spreading as she thought about enduring the next few days in her family's company. Only seven more days until she was back in Jack's arms, she thought wistfully.

Looking down at the diamond gracefully perched on her left hand, Elizabeth brought her thoughts back to the morning she left Hope Valley and let the pleasant remembrance feed her strength to endure the next week thousands of miles apart from the man she loved. She smiled as she pictured Jack in the kitchen of the Cafe, deftly preparing her breakfast as he had promised.

Upon seeing her descend the stairs, Jack had pulled out a chair and indicated for her to sit, a cup of hot coffee already poured and awaiting her company. "I hope you like pancakes." He said to her as he finished preparing her plate and set it down on the table, next to her coffee.

Elizabeth smiled as she looked upon his concoction, stunned to see an appetizing stack of fluffy pancakes, topped with butter and maple syrup. Fresh berries had been placed around the edges subtly indicating an artistic flare for the presentation. "This looks delicious, Jack. Thank-you so much." She began to eat and was pleased when Jack sat down to join her with his own plate. Her eyes lit up in delight as she savoured her meal and thought how wonderful it was going to be to wake up to this man every day. "Is there anything this man can't do?" Elizabeth thought dreamily.

"Please tell me you have managed to reduce the amount of luggage you intend to bring." Jack said, breaking the silence. "I don't think I can handle carrying more than out to the stage coach." Jack looked at her jokingly.

"I've only packed one bag for this trip, Jack." She nodded toward her suitcase sitting at the bottom of the stairs. Then, suddenly too full to finish her breakfast, she pushed her half-eaten plate into the middle of the table.

"Is it that bad?" Jack inquired, looking at her plate.

"No. It's delicious. Really. It's just a lot to eat." She looked at him sadly, dreading their impending goodbye.

"Oh. I almost forgot. I have something you may want to bring with you." Jack stood up quickly and picked up a large brown envelope sitting on the counter.

"What is it?" Elizabeth asked.

"Open it." Jack smiled knowingly.

Carefully opening the envelope, Elizabeth's breath caught in her chest as she pulled out an 8x10 photograph of the class picture Jack had taken only weeks before. "Oh Jack. This is wonderful." She carefully hovered her fingers over the photo, admiring the smiling faces staring back at her.

"I thought you might like to share this with your parents and show them all of the children that are lucky to have you as their teacher. And...I hope it can serve to show your parents how important you are to this town." He studied her reaction thoughtfully. " I also had an extra photograph made that you can hang up on the wall at the schoolhouse...but...it's not framed yet." He looked at her and smiled warmly, a look of genuine love spreading through his features.

"You're incredible Jack. Thank-you." She looked into his eyes and felt his love radiating out to her, causing the beat of her heart to skip rapidly. This gesture further solidified Elizabeth's understanding of how much Jack truly respected and treasured her role as this town's teacher and only made her love for him grow. She was quick to note, too, how this was Jack's way of attempting to help resolve some of the disappointments her parents had developed for their middle daughter's actions from the past year.

Jack pulled her free hand into his and gently rubbed the top of her ring with his thumb, staring into her eyes with a look that told her he was trying to not think about Elizabeth leaving on the stagecoach in a matter of minutes.

Picking up on his cues, Elizabeth interjected and wrapped her arms around his neck, rubbing her hand along his newly shaved cheek. "Mmmmm…" She lightly moaned. "I can't decide what I like better." She gently kissed his smooth skin, lightly trailing kisses along his jaw.

Feeling the impact of her lips on his newly delicate skin, Jack pulled her tight and allowed her to continue with her affections. Time seemed to slow as he languished in the physical attention Elizabeth was playfully showing him, to the point where he could not contain his desire for her any longer. He tilted his head and met her lips with a sudden explosion of need for her, their mouths exploring and teasing each other until the heat from their exchange threatened to take them over the edge of respectable conduct. Elizabeth was the first to break their hold.

"You're positive you don't want to join me?" Elizabeth asked breathlessly, unable to steady herself from their recent kiss. She pressed her forehead to his cheek and tightened her hold around his neck.

"We have the rest of our lives together, Elizabeth. What's ten days?"

Elizabeth snapped back to the view out of her first-class compartment, recognizing the familiar buildings trudging by her window and subtly noticed a slowing of speed of the train's engine. A half hour later, the train was fully stopped at Hamilton's bustling train depot, passengers filing purposefully out of the compartments. Elizabeth made her way onto the platform, her steps slow and steady in an effort to re-familiarize her footing with solid ground. She hesitantly made her way to the meeting area while scanning the crowd and searched for her father's driver.

Elizabeth stopped dead in her tracks, unexpectedly locking eyes with _him_ , a sight she was not prepared to deal with at the moment.

"Elizabeth!" Charles raised his arm to help draw her attention towards him.

She approached carefully while trying to come up with a plan of reaction to his presence, the weight of her luggage clutched in her left hand suddenly becoming a burden. "Charles...I...I'm sorry. I wasn't expecting you."

"Yes. I understand. You're father asked if I could personally meet you here and bring you home. His driver is currently tied up with other matters." His look conveyed a slight twinge of annoyance at having to perform such menial tasks for his mentor and she felt a touch of hostility towards her.

"Of course. Thank-you. I'm sure Father is most appreciative of your help. Shall we then…?" She indicated towards the exit and loudly noted the absence of help that he offered with her bag.

The ride home began with awkward silence, but quickly turned to light chatter as Charles filled her in on the recent preparations for her sister's wedding and what was planned for the next four days' of Elizabeth's visit. Luckily, there was so much information to share that there was no opportunity to delve into the messy details of their last meet-up in the schoolhouse and Elizabeth felt a rush of relief as Charles steered the car into the driveway of her childhood home, offering her an escape from his company.

"Father!" Elizabeth exclaimed as she hurriedly disembarked our of the vehicle and rushed into her father's waiting arms.

"My dear Elizabeth!" He replied. "It's always a pleasure to have you home. Let's go inside where you can tell us how your trip went." Elizabeth's heart fell through her chest at her father's mention of the word 'trip'. "He still views my absence as an extended vacation," she thought. "Where any day, I will return home and lead the life he wants me to lead." Elizabeth forced herself to maintain her pleasant smile and followed him into the cavernous house, eager to reunite with her mother.

The sound of Charles driving away faded into the distance as the large wooden door was shut behind her. "Elizabeth, darling!" Her mother was descending the stairs and holding out her arms to welcome her daughter into a warm embrace. Her hand slid down to capture Elizabeth's in hers and was immediately struck by the new addition to her left ring finger.

A look of surprise, mixed with a twinge of horror crept into her mother's face, her eyes widening at the realization this ring's existence implied. "So...the Mountie proposed, did he?" She raised her eyebrows, concern for Elizabeth written plainly in her delicate features.

"Yes. I was just about to share this wonderful news with you and Father but see you beat me to it." She looked expectantly at her mother, then on to her father who met her stare with a look of stern coldness.

William Thatcher tactfully softened his look towards his daughter and tried to coax her into a more comfortable discussion in his office, offering the two ladies entrance into his ornate hide-a-way. "Please, Elizabeth, come and have a seat where we can discuss this further…"

"If, by discuss this further, you mean ask me when and where my wedding will take place, I would be happy to oblige. But…" She stopped momentarily, confidence and resolve slowly building within, focusing on meeting her father's hidden agenda. "If you were hoping to try and talk me out of marrying _Jack_ , I will have no part of it." She maintained her father's eye contact and silently said a prayer, requesting the strength required to stand up to this imposing, but familiar, man.

"I hardly consider this a standing marriage proposal, Elizabeth. The man didn't even ask for my permission!"

"And would you have given permission?" Elizabeth responded, fully knowing what his answer would be.

William remained silent, secretly seething at the thought of his precious daughter being proposed to by an unworthy beau.

"Exactly." Elizabeth met her father's gaze and remained unmoving, willing him to prove her wrong.

Her mother interjected between the awkward standoff between her husband and daughter. "Elizabeth. You know we think fondly of your friend, Jack, but you can't possibly be considering his proposal of marriage?"

"I can. And I did, Mother. Now..If you have nothing positive to say on this then I suggest you keep your opinions on the matter to yourself. The fact is I am marrying Jack, with or without yours and Father's approval. I'd like to think you raised me to be an excellent judge of character, and in this case, you would understand why I think so highly of him...enough that I wish to spend my life with him." Sadness flowed through Elizabeth's body at the realization that her parent's disappointment was still alive and well in their minds and she suddenly felt very alone, missing Jack's reassuring presence.

"Well" Elizabeth began again, hoping to steer the conversation into more neutral territory. "I've travelled a great distance to be here for Viola's wedding and I intend to fully enjoy this wondrous occasion with the two you and the rest of our family and _hope_ we can simply agree to disagree on this topic." Elizabeth felt her back straightened and held her head up higher to help her mitigate the ill-feelings her words may have caused. She smiled sweetly at her parents.

"Of course, dear." William replied while hiding a deep-seated resentment of the man who had stolen his daughter's heart. It had suddenly become very real to Mr. Thatcher that his middle daughter was on the cusp of being torn away from him for good, a prospect he didn't much care to consider. Not only by distance, but Elizabeth would be torn from the very society that he had so diligently raised her in.

William's thoughts anxiously raced with potential scenarios which would lend themselves to ensuring his daughter's return into the fold of their world, a world where she rightfully belonged. He had to act quickly.

Elizabeth spent the rest of her afternoon in the company of her her mother and Viola, finalizing plans for the next day's engagements and excitedly discussing the events of the big day itself. Elizabeth remembered a time in her life when an affair as grand as a wedding, hosted by your own family no less, would have generated more excitement and awestruckness in herself than it currently did. Besides the current strain between Elizabeth and her parents regarding her own soon-to-be nuptials, not having Julie in attendance was another blow to the sanity of her family as a whole.

Although initially confused and worried about her younger sister's whereabouts, it was Viola who nonchalantly updated Elizabeth on her current status. They were in the parlour, waiting on their guests for dinner to arrive and Miss Thatcher had just excused herself when Viola took the opportunity of solitude to suddenly sit herself down next to Elizabeth and proceed to fill her in on the latest news.

"Seems our darling little sister has followed in your footsteps by running off with a Thornton brother!" Viola spoke quietly, indicating to Elizabeth that this information was not something to be discussing openly.

"Viola! I didn't run off with anybody. I left home to teach and follow my calling. Maybe Julie has found hers? Please tell me she is alright..." She looked at her sister worriedly.

"I don't know about finding her calling, necessarily. More like finding a reason to shame our family. Father has been telling everyone that Julie is studying abroad, in Paris, no less, and I hope you can cooperate with keeping Julie's true whereabouts a secret. Fort MacNeil is a far cry from the glamour of Europe!" Viola wore her trademark face of disgust, indicating how disappointed she was at Julie's timing and potentially damaging actions on behalf of the entire family.

Elizabeth gently grasped her sister's hand and looked imploringly into her eyes. "Viola, I can completely understand your feelings on the matter, what with it being your wedding and all, but I need to know if she is alright." Secretly, Elizabeth felt slightly sick to her stomach at the thought that her family was trying to hide Julie's true whereabouts, all to save face in the latest High Society newspapers.

Viola's features momentarily softened, but quickly returned when she replied, "Julie is living at a common boarding house and taking classes at the local College. What she intends to learn there, I'm not sure, but I _am_ sure that, in due time, she will wake up and realize her life doesn't measure up to all of the romance novels she has filled her head with over the past few years…" Her speech was interrupted by Grace Thatcher returning to the room, smiling at the sight of her two daughters sitting side by side, engaged in conversation.

Grace's entrance was followed by the appearance of Sir Lionel who was joined by a well-dressed stranger Elizabeth did not recognize. "Viola, Elizabeth, may I present to you His Grace the Duke of Kent, accompanied by his cousin Sir Lionel." Elizabeth caught the gleam shining in her mother's eye at her pride introducing one so close to royalty. She also caught a hint of another, more devious look, observing her mother's eyes flit between the Duke and Elizabeth, trying to gauge her daughter's reaction to him.

"Sir Lionel, a pleasure." Elizabeth held out her hand for Viola's groom-to-be, nodding her head in respectful recognition.

"Elizabeth." Lionel spoke eloquently. "A pleasure as always. Please...I'd like you to meet my cousin, the Honorable Duke of Kent…" Sir Lionel, still holding onto Elizabeth's gloved hand, brought it towards the approaching Duke, who replaced his hold regally.

"Please, call me Henry." He slowly brought her hand up to his lips, lightly pressing his lips to the back of her satin-wrapped hand, all the while maintaining her gaze. "I've heard many wonderful things about you Elizabeth...I'd love if you could humor me with some of your grand tales from out west." Henry flashed her a gleaming smile, clearly comfortable utilizing his powers of persuasion.

Elizabeth quickly caught on to the reason behind the Duke's appearance and received confirmation on her intuition when she glanced at her father, clearly delighted in the Duke's interest in his middle daughter. "Of course. It would be my pleasure." Elizabeth mentally pushed back the seething anger within and decided to humor her parents this one night only - by entertaining a man they hoped would help lure her back into the world she had been away from for over a year.

"Oh Jack…only one week left." Elizabeth sighed to herself, desperate to find the strength to endure the next week apart. Taking a deep breath, she brought herself back to the present moment and smiled sweetly at the Duke of Kent.

"So, Henry, do tell...is it true all Duke's live in castles, surrounded by a moat?"


	5. Chapter 5

**_This is quite a short chapter, however, just wanted to keep the momentum of the story going before heading into the wedding and such. Also, I wanted to say thank-you to all that have read my story and a special thank-you to all who have provided such kind and considerate feedback in their reviews._**

Chapter Five

Contrary to what Elizabeth expected, she found herself enjoying the Duke's company immensely. Not in a romantic sense, of course, but more so in the sense she had met a long-lost friend, someone who shared the same ideals and dreams for the world as a whole. He spoke earnestly about his philanthropic efforts abroad, from the schools for the lower-caste systems he was building in India, to the foundation he formed back home in England to help the young victims of indentured labour, Elizabeth found herself mesmerized and caught up in his passion for life. "Sure beats sitting around with just Viola and Sir Lionel as entertainment." Elizabeth thought to herself smugly.

After dinner they headed to the drawing room to enjoy a coffee, the men lighting fat cigars, while the Thatchers continued their obvious infatuation with the Duke. As Henry was standing at the double french doors, admiring the expanse of the estate from within, William approached him, holding out his lighter for the Duke's use. "I suggest you let Elizabeth show you the grounds...the view from the east garden is simply stunning. Especially in the moonlight." He indicated subtly to the gleaming crispness of the earth's closest satellite.

Elizabeth inwardly cringed as her father's end-game entered desperate territory, knowing he would never let her walk off with Jack into the darkness of the grounds alone. Her aversion quickly turned to relief as it offered her an opportunity to escape the smoke-filled room and the non-stop tedious talk about the wedding.

The butler arrived with the pair's overcoats as Elizabeth and Henry made their way out to the stone fountain directly behind the parlour's doors. Henry was the first to break the comfortable silence. "Does your fellow have a name?"

Caught off guard, Elizabeth's eyes widened in shock at the Duke's seemingly psychic abilities. "How did you know?" She shook her head slowly, confusion playing on her face.

"Besides the outline of a ring on your left hand through your glove...I am an expert at knowing when a woman is in love. You just have that look to you. That, and the fact you haven't flirted with me once all night...something I am very accustomed to when graced with the presence of available women" He laughed good-naturedly, hoping his comment hadn't offended his new friend.

"Jack. Jack Thornton." Elizabeth replied to his initial question.

"And what is it about Jack Thornton that your parent's don't approve of?" Henry's propensity for directness further aided to Elizabeth's fondness for him.

Again, Elizabeth was struck by Henry's uncanny insight into her personal life and sidestepped the answer momentarily. "How do you know that?"

"It's not difficult to see the way your parents are intensely analyzing everything you say and do towards me. As I said before, I am quite used to the reactions I evoke in women looking for a suitor, and I am exceptionally used to way their parent's behave when I am in their daughter's presence." He laughed quietly this time and looked off into the blackness of the sky.

"Well. I'm sure being the Duke of Kent has nothing to do with that. At all." Elizabeth tried to hold on to her seriousness, but fell into laughter when Henry looked at her and reacted the same way. They continued to chuckle at their situation as Henry offered Elizabeth his arm for their midnight stroll.

"He's a Mountie." Elizabeth said suddenly, breaking the silence as they slowly walked on the tufted grass.

"Who's a Mountie?" The Duke asked, clearly sidetracked from Elizabeth's sarcastic comment.

"Jack. My fiance. He's a Mountie. Meaning...he's not _good_ enough for me. Or so my parents think He's definitely not a Duke." Elizabeth looked down as she said this, battling the strong emotions that this conflict between her two worlds was creating.

"A Mountie? Really? I've yet to actually meet a Mountie...but I've read a great deal of stories about them. Especially in my youth...And your parents don't approve? Incredible!" Henry stopped in his tracks and looked at Elizabeth in disbelief.

Henry was stuck by the pain etched into Elizabeth's face and completely understood her frustration at not wanting to conform to their society's marital expectations. Unfortunately for Henry, however, was his obligations for a suitable marriage ran deeper than hers. The Duke placed both hands on each of Elizabeth's shoulders and looked directly into her conflicted eyes.

"When you first met this Mountie, Jack, did you know he was the one?" Henry again resorted to his flare for direct approaches.

Elizabeth was still, her mind travelling back to their first encounter in the Saloon when she had cheated him out of her chalk dust. Her eyes glazed over in response to her memory and she breathed her response. "Yes. I think I did."

"Then how can anyone stand in your way of such a great love? A love divined by the heavens above?" Henry's arm flew up above his head, emphasizing his talent for drama while exposing his extremely romantic nature.

Elizabeth smiled at the Duke's antics and the way he was trying to encourage her relationship with Jack, beyond what her parent's thoughts were on the matter. "And what about you, Henry. Have you found your love at first sight yet? You can't say you haven't had a lot of opportunity to as you must have crowds of women throwing themselves at your feet…"

"No. I haven't." The Duke replied seriously, sobered by Elizabeth's question. "But I hope that, someday, I can meet someone as special to me as Jack is to you." He smiled warmly at Elizabeth as he offered her his arm again and walked slowly back to the parlour where William Thatcher, privy to the pair's physical interaction, beamed proudly at their return. His hope for his daughter's return into his world renewed by the evening's pleasant outcome. After all, Henry was a Duke! And he made Elizabeth laugh like he hadn't seen her laugh in quite some time. Even when Jack had been here.

Unfortunately for William, however, he only saw what he wanted to see. What he _couldn't_ see was that Elizabeth's heart beat only for one man. And her connection to this man transcended anything William could conceivably wedge between them.


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter Six

The morning of the wedding, Elizabeth awoke abruptly. Her body was reverberating like a bell. The effects from her dream causing her heart to race rapidly and rendered her body completely immobile. She squeezed her eyes shut in order to replay the fleeting images in her mind, desperate to recapture the moments that, only seconds before, had seemed so real.

Elizabeth languished in the dream's remembrance of laying in Jack's arms, feeling his powerful hold wrapped around her body as their legs intertwined within the twisted sheets. A blush crept into her cheeks as realized there was a lack of clothing separating their bodies and she could still recall the heat that emanated between them. It wasn't necessarily the vivid details of the scene dancing in her mind, that made her body react so strongly, more so the powerful emotions that continued to course through her being. Her longing for Jack had reached an epic pinnacle and she knew she would be feeling the effects of this dream for the rest of the day, if not rest of her life.

A knock at the door snapped Elizabeth out of her trance as her Aunt Agatha entered, ignoring a lack of response from its inhabitant. "Time is precious, Elizabeth dear. We need to be at the church before noon. Your mother has asked that I keep all of the bridesmaids on time today." She smiled gently at Elizabeth, noting the blush fading on her cheeks. "Dreaming of your Mountie, I see." She winked her eye knowingly, fully understanding the effects that one so handsome could have on a young woman.

Elizabeth could subtly feel the heat on her cheeks returning upon hearing her Aunt's comment and she buried her face in her hands, embarrassment flooding her senses. "Agatha!" Elizabeth exclaimed. "You startled me, is all. I shall be down for breakfast shortly." Regaining what little composure she could muster, Elizabeth stole out of bed and quickly changed for the morning meal, all the while buzzing with the residual effects of Jack's familiar touch. "Halfway through my visit." Elizabeth thought happily. "Only five more days to go".

The wedding ceremony proceeded without a hitch. The bride and groom, adorned in the most fashionable wedding finery available, entered the reception hall in blissful matrimony. As much as Elizabeth chided her older sister for being somewhat of a stick-in-the-mud, she had to admit that Viola looked stunning as a bride.

Since that morning's intimate reverie, Elizabeth had felt like she was straddling two worlds; one was the tangible real world she physically inhabited and the other was the space she had shared with Jack only hours earlier. That intimate jolt of love had carried her on a high note through a day she had become somewhat loathsome in attitude towards, and only now, as dinner was clearing and cocktails were flowing, cracks in the good vibe started to appear out the peripherals of Elizabeth's sight.

She had seen Charles frequently throughout the day, sans guest, which Elizabeth found a tad peculiar, and and at which times he was nothing short of polite and agreeable. However now, as the lights were dimming and the live band was readying for the stage, Elizabeth could see Charles becoming more loud and raucous with every drink he finished. She was still sitting at the Bride's table, not yet ready to switch gears into an evening of loud music and dancing, when Charles broke away from the crowd he had been standing with and approached Elizabeth. "So it looks like you're the next Thatcher sister to be married." His eyes slowly trailed to the ring on Elizabeth's left hand.

Elizabeth looked down where his gaze had went and then looked up straight at him, an uneasy feeling in the pit of her stomach starting to form.

"Yes. I am. But, if you asked my father that, I'm sure you'd receive a completely different reply." Elizabeth broke her stare and looked away, feeling suddenly awkward in his presence.

"Well...I'll believe it when I actually see it." Each word was terse and short. He then narrowed his eyes and turned away, briskly walking towards the busy bar.

The Duke of Kent suddenly appeared and sat down in an empty seat beside Elizabeth, stealing himself away from the Groom's side of the seating arrangements. "Is that the infamous Charles you told me about the other night?"

"The one and only." Elizabeth pointedly replied, turning towards her friend and offering him a welcoming smile. "It appears he is inclined to try and ruin my night...and I'm not going to allow that." It was then the live band began an upbeat song when Elizabeth continued. "Any chance you could ask me to dance?"

"It would be my pleasure. Shall we?" The Duke stood up and offered Elizabeth his hand, leading her out into an increasingly active dancefloor, and they proceeded to share the next couple of songs together.

Henry was an exceptional dancer, and Elizabeth loved to dance, so it was understandable she would take this opportunity to partake in a much loved pastime. As the band was winding down into a slow ballad, the duo were abruptly interrupted by a looming figure who was intercepting Elizabeth`s hand for the next dance. ``May I cut in?" Henry`s clasp on Elizabeth`s other hand tightened but she indicated to him that Charles` proposition would be accepted, albeit reluctantly.

Elizabeth was not about to make a dramatic scene or entice the man that she was currently in the clutches of to bring any untoward attention their way. The last thing Elizabeth wanted was to make any waves at her sister's wedding, considering the precarious position her family was in with two daughters with questionable taste in men. Elizabeth forced the uneasiness that was riding up in her gut to settle, while she switched into autopilot mode, her feet guided by memory as the waltz gracefully played on.

"His diamond isn't even a third of what I offered you, you must realize." His breath reeked of alcohol and, while not surprised at his continued animosity toward her, Elizabeth was stunned at his boldness.

"I could care less about the ring, Charles. What matters is I love him. He could have offered me a piece of coal and I still would have accepted." Elizabeth replied.

"It's lust, Elizabeth. You've filled your head with too many romantic stories about Mounties that you've been blinded by what really matters in your life. You won`t last one year with that man...and then what? You`ll come crawling back to Hamilton as used goods who won't attract the same suitors as you once could have? Please, I ask you to reconsider, and think about your future...You belong with me, and you know it." His breath was hot and fetid on her cheek and his grip on her waist was becoming increasingly inappropriate.

"How dare you insinuate such deplorable things about me! You obviously don't know me at all." Her voice was wrought with restrained anger but felt that any more comments from this man would push her over the edge with rage. She stopped mid-dance and attempted to walk off the dance floor but he caught her arm and pulled her back to him, crashing her body to his.

"I'll say when we're done here." Charles continued his hold on Elizabeth and bent his head down to force his lips onto hers, her body tense with resistance to his actions.

A bright flash startled Elizabeth and she realized that the roaming photographers, hunting for fodder for tomorrow`s gossip pages, had managed to capture the sickening moment on film. Elizabeth`s rage overflowed as she managed to gather enough strength to push Charles away from her and flee from the dance floor, hot tears threatening to fall.

As Elizabeth was fumbling through the throngs of guests, searching for an escape to the ladies room, her father, William Thatcher, stopped her in her tracks. He, like Charles, also appeared to be reeling from the effects of the alcohol as it loosened typical restraints on his tongue. "I would like a word with you, Elizabeth. Please join me over here." He bellowed loudly and waved her over , leading her into an empty room.

"Father, please. Not now. I just need a moment in the ladies room…" Elizabeth tried to buy herself some time for the expected onslaught of disappointment she felt he was about to throw her way and couldn't believe how suddenly the good times that carried her through the day had stopped.

"It can't wait. Elizabeth. I've done a lot of thinking these past few days and, unfortunately, I cannot let things continue the way they are between us." While his words seemed hopeful, like he was about to give her his full blessing to marry Jack, her gut was sounding an alarm that all was not as it seemed.

"I agree father. I don't like this tension either. I would be happy to talk about it tomorrow, but right now, I need to use the ladies room…please…" She attempted to to turn but her father continued, interrupting her retreat. "Please, listen to me, Elizabeth. What I am saying is, you know where I stand on this marriage business between you and Jack. But you must know there are consequences to going against my wishes. You're mother and I have humored you enough since you decided to teach out west and we feel it's time for you to return. You have so much potential _here_ and it is time to fulfill your family obligations…"

Elizabeth cut her father off. "No. I am not moving back to Hamilton. You can't make me. Father...please." Her emotional well-being teetered on the brink of explosion.

"Elizabeth. If you choose to marry Jack...consider yourself cutoff financially. That's all there is to it. I don't know why you are being so stubborn about this, but I guess I need to resort to extreme measures to make you understand how serious I am. You're trust fund will be completely revoked. You will have nothing." He stared at her intently, hoping the steel in his eyes conveyed his resolve on the matter.

Elizabeth's breath caught in her throat and her heart plummeted to the floor, effectively shattering any faith she had that her parents would come around and eventually accept her relationship with Jack. And her choice to live away from their direct influence. "You can keep your money." Her voice was thick with disdain. "I don't need it to be happy. I have an income, same as Jack, and we know people who make do on much less than us so I have no worries that we will make our way perfectly fine." Elizabeth felt her jaw clutching shut as she spat out the last words. "I'm leaving now. Don't worry...I'll try not to bring shame to you on my way out. I know how highly you think of what others think of us." Elizabeth turned and fled the room, the image of her father's scowl ingrained into her immediate thoughts.

Elizabeth's heart raced as she frantically searched for the exit. She was too upset to remain in such a joyful atmosphere and couldn't bring herself to excuse herself formally as one look at her fragile state would change the mood of the newly married couple. Above all else, Elizabeth wished to keep Viola's wedding as pleasant as possible so she tried her best to go undetected as she made her way to the front entrance. Stumbling out of the heavy glass doors, Elizabeth stood on the step and indicated to the bell-hop that she wished to summon a ride. With arms crossed, Elizabeth refused to go back to retrieve her coat and decided that the bite of frost in the air was much more preferable than the scene waiting for her inside; that of two men who wished to control the outcome of her life.

A black car pulled to a stop in front of Elizabeth and the bell-hop made a motion that told her her request had been granted. Her transportation had arrived. Blindly, Elizabeth flung open the front door and sat down, relieved to be leaving such an unpleasant evening. She had her eyes focused directly ahead while the car swiftly pulled out of the hotel's entrance and didn't think to look at her driver until the car was speeding down the road and swerving slightly from side to side. "Charles!" Elizabeth gasped as a fearul boding stole into her look.

"You can't shake me that easily, Elizabeth. Like I told you, you belong with me. It's your fault I have to resort to such great lengths as this to make you see that." Charles continued to look at Elizabeth while the car's trajectory questionably wavered all over the busy road ahead.

"Oh my goodness Charles! Please! You must stop this car. Right this second!" Elizabeth reached over to take command of the steering wheel but Charles held his arm out and brought his hand to her chest, pushing her back forcefully.

The warm glow of the streets' gas-powered lamps whizzed passed the car in streaks of orange as Elizabeth sat wild-eyed in the front seat, grasping at ways to diffuse this increasingly dangerous situation.

"One day you will thank me for this. You will understand why I had to do this." Charles looked at her sadly as Elizabeth felt a hand come around from the backseat and smother a cloth over her face. It smelled heavily laced with chemicals and Elizabeth flailed her arms madly, trying to push the soggy rag away from her nose and mouth. The fumes quickly took their effect and Elizabeth found it increasingly difficult to think straight and couldn't quite connect her mind's commands to her body and resist the restraint she was currently under. As the hazy darkness of nothingness started closing in on Elizabeth's faculties, flashes of Jack and the deep love she felt for him started pulling her closer to the surface. She recalled each of the time's he had come to her rescue and used that reassurance to muster all the strength left in her body.

"No Charles! Don't!" Elizabeth screamed as she used all willpower remaining to fight off the perpetrator in the backseat and groggily lunged for the door handle.

Unfortunately, for Elizabeth, she didn't get a chance to open the door. It was at that same split second that Charles, speeding wildly through the lively streets of downtown Hamilton, ran his vehicle into another. It was also when Elizabeth was thrown headfirst into the windshield, effectively rendering her unresponsive to the events that were about to unfold...


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter Seven

Faith Carter was exiting the Marquee Theatre's opening night of this week's visiting vaudeville performance when she heard the commotion coming from the street. Panicked cries, mixed with smoke and a street littered with mechanical debris met Faith as she slowly walked toward the tragic scene. Her natural instincts as a nurse and countless hours spent assisting with special surgeries and operations gave her the confidence to attempt to create order out of a chaotic situation and she immediately assessed that her energies would best be focused on the victim that was lying unresponsive on the ground, her head cradled in a hysteric man's lap

"Elizabeth!" The kneeling man was wailing, desperate to revive the injured woman as he cradled her head in his hands.

Faith managed to slowly approach the two from the side and touched the man's shoulder to get his immediate attention. "I am a Nurse at the Hamilton General Hospital. Please...let me help." He nodded in agreement as Faith immediately reached out to take her pulse and note other vital signs.

"She's alive. But barely. Her pulse is slightly weak and her breathing is fairly shallow. The blood coming from this cut on her head seems to be lessening...but...we need to get her to the hospital. Immediately. Is this car still drivable?" Even though she spoke firmly, Faith was able to communicate her orders in a familiar professional manner.

"Let me assist with that." Faith's head snapped upwards as she looked to see who had spoken. Her eyes were met with the worried stare of a dashing young man, clearly distraught over the current events. Judging by the attire the threesome were wearing, Faith deduced they must all have been attending the same event.

"Thank-you." Faith exclaimed as she stood up to meet the man's offer. "Let's get her moved safely to your automobile. Sir, can you carry her?" Faith turned to ask Charles gently, completely used to the shock experienced by victims of trauma. Charles nodded and gently lifted Elizabeth's limp form from the hard surface of the road and took her into the closed comforts of Sir Henry's borrowed vehicle.

As Faith was about to open the passenger side door, Henry interrupted her and asked her rather poignantly. "Ever driven one of these?"+

"Well...umm...yes. I have. Once. Why?" Her eyes were large and confused as she noted a skeptical look hidden beneath his gaze.

He spoke quietly, moving in close so that only she could hear his hurried response. " You need to get Elizabeth to the hospital as quickly as possible. I, on the other hand, have matters here that need my attention." With that, Henry subtly nodded towards the wreckage and turned away, walking back towards the twisted encounter of the doomed vehicles.

Faith scrambled into the driver's seat and adjusted herself so that she could comfortably see out of the front window. She slammed her foot down on the clutch, roughly switched gears into first, and set off swiftly toward the hospital.

The Duke of Kent, slowly approaching the two injured vehicles, visually combed the surroundings as if expecting to see someone he recognized. He could have sworn on his mother's life that he had seen a shadowed figure in the backseat of Charles's vehicle as it was pulling away from the hotel. Henry had caught sight of Elizabeth at the moment she closed the door, and had also caught sight of the driver. From what he had seen of Charles' behaviour that night , his instincts told him that Charles was only going to escalate his torture of Elizabeth and the sight of her alone in a vehicle with him made The Duke afraid for her wellbeing. That's when he decided to borrow a groomsman's automobile and quickly follow the speeding car down the streets of Hamilton. Until, of course, Charles sped out of control and ran directly into another vehicle attempting to cross the street.

It had only been less than fifteen minutes since the crash but already the crowds of onlookers had left leaving only the Duke and the unfortunate recipient of Charles' drunk driving skills skulking in the dimly lit light of the public street. With piqued curiosity, Henry approached the black vehicle and opened the back passenger side door, the location he believed to have seen the outline of man merely minutes before. The back seat was empty. Or only initially appeared to be empty. Looking down on the floor, the Duke saw a coil of rope partially hidden under the seat. He bent down to inspect it further when he was met by a strong pungent smell. His eyes scanned the floor and abruptly found a crisp, clean white rag, that had obviously been doused with something potent.

The Duke took a few steps back as his mind processed the clues, unable to immediately admit what these signs were pointing to. He refused let his judgement automatically rush to accuse Charles of an attempt to kidnap Elizabeth, based solely on these findings. It wasn't until he decided to look in the rear trunk of the vehicle that his conviction started to change. There, hiding under piles of storage trunks, was a bag filled with heavy silver plates. Henry bent down to pick one up and brought it out into the open, hoping the faint light would cast some further insight into the cache of mysterious bricks. He could clearly see the words Dominion of Canada sprawled across the front and back and was struck by two faces, instantly recognizable as Lord and Lady Grey, staring back at him from the glint of the metal.

"You don't say…" Henry whispered to himself amusingly, analyzing the shiny find lurking in the depths of the this vehicle's trunk. "Seems Charles is involved in some very serious business."

Henry immediately made his way to the North West Mounted Police Headquarters, anxious to share his findings.

It had been twelve hours since Elizabeth had arrived at the hospital. Her parents, William and Grace Thatcher, had been with their daughter all night, having been discreetly summoned from Viola's wedding shortly before the festivities were drawing to a close. Citing headaches and too much imbibing of the available alcoholic beverages, the couple purposefully chose not to alert their oldest daughter of their sister's unfortunate circumstances to allow her to depart on her much-anticipated honeymoon free of any worries. As they sat solemnly beside Elizabeth's side, eager to note any sign of awakening, Nurse Carter entered the room to perform her routine vital sign checks and ensure her patient was comfortable. Faith noticed Grace's look of surprise as she glanced down at Elizabeth's now ringless left hand and immediately made a motion to clarify the absence to its owner.

"Common protocol for us to remove all jewellery once a patient is admitted. I have her ring safely locked in our safe and will bring that to you for safekeeping on my next round…" She spoke directly to the pair, hoping her explanation helped ease any confusion they had on the matter.

"Of course." Grace responded absently, her mind clearly not concerned for the missing ring. She then proceeded to squeeze her daughter's hand and look expectantly for any sign of response.

It was then Dr. Baker entered the room, holding a clipboard with Elizabeth's latest test results. The three bodies all turned and looked at the Doctor, nervously awaiting his update. "It appears this young lady here has an angel looking out for her. Besides the serious contusion on her forehead from the impact on the windshield and minor cuts and scratches, she appears to be in excellent health." Dr. Baker continued to look down at his reports and flipped a page, continuing. "No broken bones. No internal bleeding. Vitals have been steady for the past six hours. I would hope she has regained consciousness in the next twelve hours and if she hasn't...we will then resort to further tests. But for now...we need to just watch her closely and ensure nothing gets worse." Dr. Baker raised his eyebrows to his audience to silently summon any questions the Thatchers had but both William and Grace seemed satisfied with the promising news and each nodded their understanding.

"Well then. I shall continue on my rounds. Rest assured Mr. And Mrs. Thatcher...your daughter is in excellent hands with Nurse Carter." The doctor then looked directly at Faith and added, "Please do tell me immediately if anything changes." He then turned on his heel and left the room, his clipboard tucked tightly under his arm.

As the doctor was leaving Charles Kensington was approaching to enter Elizabeth's room, having just returned from a sobering rest in the waiting room. His appearance caused William's attention to quickly snap in his direction, asking, "Charles? You still haven't sufficiently explained how you almost got my daughter killed." As much as William tried to keep his voice even, the anger he currently felt caused his volume to increase rather loudly.

"Mr. Thatcher. Like I told you last night...I was trying to console Elizabeth. Seems she was rather upset about something that was said between the two of you." Charles purposefully looked William directly in the eye as he said this. "She was inconsolable and she threatened to throw herself out of the car and as I reached out to stop her...I swear I only looked away for a second….but that's when that car...that car came out of nowhere!" Charles mustered all of his resolve to conjure up enough tears to make his story believable.

William was silent and simply looked upon Charles as a man with no other options. This young man was his trusted apprentice, a man he entrusted with a great deal of responsibility and he had proven himself time and time again. He basically thought of him as the son he never had, and therefore, felt no other option existed than to believe him. To question Charles' integrity would be to question William's very own integrity in return.

"Very well…" William began but was abruptly cut off by a murmuring coming from Elizabeth's bed. It appeared his daughter was in the process of coming to. "My dear. Elizabeth!" He exclaimed as he rushed to her side, clutching her hand in his.

Elizabeth moaned lightly again and began to slowly move her head from side to side. Grace was across from her husband, holding her daughter's hand to her heart as William continued. "Elizabeth, my darling. It's your father. Don't worry, everything is fine. You're ok...Elizabeth. Do you hear me?"

"Father?" Elizabeth croaked, her mouth and throat parched from her extended sleep session. "Where...am...I?" Each word a monumental task to pronounce but the attempt to communicate was a godsend to those in her company.

"You're a patient at the Hamilton General Hospital." It was Nurse Carter. "It appears, my dear, that you've got yourself one heck of a bump on the head."

Jack Thornton was sitting in the front seat of a Mountie escort vehicle, currently transporting Bill Avery back to Mountie Headquarters in Hamilton, and to assist with investigating a breaking development in the counterfeiting case that had made its presence known recently in Hope Valley. He had been eating breakfast at Abigail's, readying himself for the rounds of the day and thinking about Elizabeth's return in three days time, when two men in red serge entered the cafe, locking eyes immediately with their brethren. The oldest of the two spoke first. "Constable Thornton?" He extended his hand in a greeting. "Constable O'Leary and Constable Thompson. I am here to escort Constable Avery, with the cooperation of yourself, to Hamilton headquarters. Constable Thompson here will be filling in on your behalf during your absence."

Jack's heart fell at the mention that he was required to report for duty, in Hamilton of all places, just as Elizabeth was to return home. "May I ask, sir, why _I_ must be the one to escort Constable Avery back to headquarters? Surely Constable Thompson is capable?" Jack was reeling from the thought of putting more time between himself and the woman he was planning to marry in two months time.

Constable O'Leary looked at Jack in understanding, knowing how disruptive the Mountie life could get. "Rest assured you've come highly recommended as you've already had experience with this case...the counterfeiting ring? Seems there's been a break in the case in Hamilton and they need your expertise. There's also a potential kidnapping of some rich woman, that may or may not be tied to this, but it also needs to be investigated." He continued to look at Jack, expecting him to stand up at any moment and follow them out the door.

Jack did follow them out the door, but made a quick visit to Ned Yost's Mercantile, intending to send a telegram to Elizabeth. He wanted to ask if she could delay her return, for even one day, to enable him to see her. More than anything, he wanted to hold her in his arms and tell her that he loved her. And see her smile back at him, shyly. His words always had a visible effect on her, and he loved to watch her reactions.

"I'm sorry Constable." It was Ned Yost. He was standing behind the counter and could clearly understand how troubled Jack was by his information. "The telegraph machine is currently out of order. I've ordered another but it won't arrive until tomorrow." Jack turned and fled the building, incensed by his series of unfortunate events in the last half hour.

As the escort vehicle turned onto the main road, headed for the nearest train station, Jack Thornton pushed aside his seething frustration at the current luck he was experiencing but found it was only replaced a heavy foreboding. He didn't have a good feeling about this case. At all.


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter Eight

Twenty four hours had passed since Elizabeth had awoken for the first time. She only managed to stay awake for five minutes until she fell back into a deep, somewhat fitful, sleep. Now a day later, Elizabeth awoke and felt a lightness in her eyes that would help her fight off the drowsiness that always pulled her back into a dreamless sleep.

William and Grace had excused themselves recently, returning home to get some much needed rest, and left their daugher under the watchful eye of Nurse Carter. And indirectly, to Charles Kensington, who was currently refusing to leave her side. Although the Thatchers felt it was tied to his deep feelings for her, really it was his desperation to ensure she didn't try to implicate him in any criminal action, as he recalled a failed attempt to physically force her to submit to him.

Elizabeth sighed deeply and turned to focus in on the person seated next to her. "Charles?" She asked, confused. "Is that really you?"

Charles momentarily panicked, realizing he was about to find out how much Elizabeth recalled about the chaos leading up to the accident.

"The one and only. Why do you sound so surprised to see me?" Charles settled his nerves and managed to suavely respond to Elizabeth's inquiry.

"I...I don't understand. I haven't seen you since I began Teacher's College and you began your studies at Queens." The look Elizabeth's face was plainly genuine and Charles' mind started spinning with ways he could use this situation to his advantage.

"Well...yes. But we've seen each other a great deal in the past year. Don't you remember?" Charles coaxingly looked her way, anxious to hear her response.

"Yes...no….I...don't quite know, actually." Elizabeth let out a giant sigh as she struggled to recall anything through the haze that was currently stuffed tightly in her mind. She felt she was drowning in nothingness until a faint feeling of familiarity began to appear as flashes of memories began to ignite. "I remember graduating...and applying for a teaching position far out west...and then….nothing." Elizabeth was slightly sitting up and staring at the wall behind Charles, looking very lost in her thoughts.

"Are you sure that's the last thing you remember, Elizabeth?" Charles asked.

``Yes. It is. Please tell me what's going on Charles? Why am I here?" Elizabeth started to panic and lightly touched her hand to the large white bandage wrapped around her head. `"Please…!" Panic was slowly turning to desperation.

Charles attempted to stall her emotional unravelling and grabbed her hand in his, forcing her to look him in the eye. "Dear Elizabeth. It's October 22nd, 1911. Two days ago, you were in a car accident as you were leaving your sister Viola`s wedding."

"Wedding?" Elizabeth sounded generally surprised. "Who did Viola marry?"

"A man by the name of Sir Lionel." Charles replied.

"Sir Lionel? Hmmmm...can't say I recall any of this." The worry was still etched in Elizabeth`s features, but her panic was temporarily under control.

"But...what about teaching? How could I be in Hamilton in October, the beginning of the school year, if I should be teaching out west?" It was then Charles realized how deeply Elizabeth felt about her chosen profession and how greatly she had been anticipating her venture into the wilds of the Canadian rockies.

"I`m sorry to be the one to tell you, again, Elizabeth...But you were rejected for that coal mining town`s teaching position. You accepted a prestigious offer here, locally, but alas…"

"Alas _what_ , Charles. Spit it out!" The fire in Elizabeth was back as she verbally sparred with her friend.

"You caught pneumonia, Elizabeth. And nearly died, for goodness sake! You had to ultimately turn down the local teaching position as your health was greatly sacrificed. You weren't fully recovered until shortly after the New Year." The news hit Elizabeth forcefully, and she appeared to slowly digest the information, continuously sporting a confused scowl on her face.

"And you...how do you explain your presence in my life?" She looked at him disbelievingly.

"When I started working for your father...actually. He would invite me to dinner rather often and you and I wound up spending a great deal of time together. So much so...that…" Charles was cut off in mid-sentence, Elizabeth's curiosity getting the better of her.

"What...so much so what...what are you getting at?" Elizabeth's impatience had reached its limit.

"So much so...we got engaged last month. I asked you to marry me, and you said yes." Charles couldn't stop the words as they were tumbling out of his mouth, but he let them fall as he wasn't one to let a good opportunity pass him by.

Elizabeth felt physically struck in her chest region at Charles' revelation that they were intended to marry. Her eyes widened in horror as she struggled to conjure up the faintest memory of this man's proposal. Surely if they were in love, as most couples were when they got engaged, she would feel the faintest recognition of such. Elizabeth suddenly felt the need to decree, "I have no recollection of our relationship, Charles. I would hope this is not a joke you are trying to pull over on me."

It was then Charles momentarily excused himself and walked around the bed to pick up the paper that Mrs. Thatcher, hours earlier, had been reading. He flipped to a specific page and held it in front of Elizabeth, watching her eyes take in the picture presented to her. The picture filled up a quarter of the page and showed the two of them kissing in the middle of a dance floor. "This was taken two days ago at Voila's wedding. You had just told me how you wanted our wedding to be as grand as your sister's and then...you kissed me, for all to see." He smiled sweetly at his altered version of the night's events.

The visual evidence Elizabeth was looking at completely froze her, rendering her unable to respond to the strange history she was being advised was part of her recent past. In her heart, she would never have given up so easily trying to secure a teaching position far from Hamilton.

Elizabeth felt the need to try and call Charles' bluff by asking, "If we're engaged, then where is my ring? It appears my finger is bare…" She held up her hand to provide evidence of her statement.

Her eyes widened in further shock as Charles reached into his inner jacket pocket and produced a diamond ring, holding it in front her Elizabeth to let her admire the light catching off its smooth edges. Charles gently grabbed her left hand and slowly slipped the ring onto the intended finger, its recipient left staring open-mouthed at the action. "Now..." Charles exclaimed. "All is right in the world."

Elizabeth didn't exactly share his sentiment on the matter.

William and Grace Thatcher were home at their sprawling estate, hurriedly packing Elizabeth some clothes and toiletries that would help make her hospital stay more comfortable. As Grace was rummaging around through Elizabeth's suitcase, making sure she hadn't missed anything important, she happened upon a photograph that had been carefully placed in a hidden storage compartment in the roof of the box. As Grace turned the photo over to see what it was, a sob escaped her lips and and she threw her hand up to cover her mouth in surprise. Her fingers hovered over the sight of her daughter smiling back at her, complete contentment shining from her eyes, as she stood beaming beside an equally happy group of children. Grace immediately realized they were standing in front of the town's new school, a school that wouldn't have existed if it weren't for the generous donation and time of the man who proclaimed his love for Elizabeth, something she knew from the letters that Elizabeth ensured were sent back home weekly.

Something changed within Grace upon seeing this photo. It acted as a catalyst to bring complete understanding to her daughter's conviction that she was pursuing a calling, one that she had felt for a long time, and one that her parent's had merely entertained as pure fancy.

Clutching the photo to her chest, Grace hurried to the stairs, anxious to share her discovery with her husband. She was hoping it would have the same effect on him as it had on her. As Grace approached William's office, she heard a familiar voice speaking to her husband and she stood outside with bated breath, trying to hear what was being said.

"Elizabeth is fully awake now. However, it appears she has no recollection of any events past her graduation from Teacher's college." Charles was speaking as if he were providing business updates to his boss rather than updating a father on his daughter's current duress.

"You're saying, Elizabeth has no memories past last spring? No Hope Valley? No Jack Thornton?" William was surprised at this news and his mind was spinning with the implications of such information.

"Yes. Absolutely. And just so you know, I have taken it upon myself to inform Elizabeth of the events that did transpire…" Charles tried to continue.

"How did she take the news? Did her memories start to return?" William was desperate for a breakthrough in his daughter's condition.

"She seems alright with it. I told your daughter, Elizabeth, that her and I are engaged. That we are in love. And that she never taught in Hope Valley...seems the town rejected her application and a sudden case of pneumonia prevented your daughter from doing much of anything last year...except for falling for me." Charles sneered and looked at William obnoxiously, prepared for the response from a man he had much experience dealing with.

"How dare you!" William responded thickly. "Why would you do such a thing?"

"I have my reasons." Charles replied. "And if you even think about trying to change my version of events, you will sorely regret it."

"You can't possibly expect me to sit back and play along with a sick, twisted concoction such as this. I won't stand for it Charles! What has come over you? How could you be so delusional?" William was frantically trying to understand how his trusted business confident could turn against him and his family so quickly.

"You will, William. As I said, you will regret it if you don't follow my lead. I'm sure the authorities will be none too pleased to learn of your involvement in a little matter that is currently breaking headlines across the country…" Charles momentarily paused as William looked at him with utter confusion. "Your involvement with the counterfeiting ring?"

"What involvement, Charles? I'm sure I have no idea what you speak of." Mr. Thatcher spoke truthfully and had never felt as helpless as he did in his moment, the threat of his livelihood being held in the balance by a man who was also trying to manipulate one of his own.

"It would be a shame if some of the records that I've been keeping were to make their way into the hands of the North West Mounted Police. I'm meticulous with details, you've said so yourself, and I have ensured that any and all traces of any criminal activity wind up directly...in...your...hands." The glint in Charles eye quickly transformed to a malicious squint as he quickly exited the office, excusing himself from the Thatcher's residence.

Grace, wide-eyed and fearful of the conversation, hesitantly made her way into her husband's study and looked at him with utter panic. "What did Charles mean? What's this about you and a counterfeiting ring? William...please. You musn't keep me in the dark about this...whatever happens to you...affects me and our girls equally as much."

"It appears Charles is playing a dangerous game, my dear." He approached his wife and gently pulled her into his warm embrace, squeezing her tightly with all of the love and care he could muster. "One I won't let him win. After all...I'm a Thatcher. And we don't back down from challenges...Even when everything we hold precious and dear is on the line." William continued to look out at the space that Charles had momentarily occupied, his eyes glazed over as his mind began formulating his next move.


	9. Chapter 9

Chapter Nine

Faith Carter was standing behind the nurses counter, finishing her reports and trying to organize her paperwork before leaving after a long twelve hour shift. She glanced in the direction of Elizabeth Thatcher's room and paused, holding her gaze while she silently contemplated the suspicious behaviour that she had noticed over the past 48 hours. The latest assessment by Dr. Baker indicated that Elizabeth suffered from retrograde amnesia as she could not recall any memories since the spring of 1910. Although rare, the condition was not permanent, and Dr. Baker cautioned her parents that they were to treat their daughter gently and not force her into trying to remember this blank time. The effects could shock her already rattled nerves and could, potentially, lead to a legitimate case of hysteria.

Faith jumped a little upon hearing a recently familiar voice. "Ahhh...there you are. I was hoping I would be able to see you." Faith's attention was immediately startled by the man she had met only once before.

"Good evening…Sorry, I don't think I got your name the other night. Something about an emergency…? She smiled and looked at him warmly, feeling instantly comfortable in his presence.

"Please. Just call me Henry I'm a friend of Miss Thatcher's. I'm glad I've had the chance to run into you as I would like to thank-you for your help the other night. It was rather heroic, if you don't mind me saying..." Henry paused, intonating that he had yet to hear her name in reply.

"Faith Carter. Or Nurse Carter, as I'm currently referred to." Faith felt a slight warming on her cheeks from the feeling of his gaze on her. "And it was no trouble...helping out...it's what I do." She lightly stammered, feeling the a profound sense of shyness starting to come over her, realizing how handsome the Duke was up close in person.

"How is she?" Henry asked in all seriousness.

"Besides a bad bump, she is physically fine. But she's suffering from amnesia...can't remember anything since last year." Faith sadly replied.

"You don't say...well, has anyone tried simply telling her what she can't remember, maybe spark some recollection?"

"We've been advised by Dr. Baker that doing so could cause more harm than good, in the long run. It's recommended she recover her memories naturally, without any pressure from those around her." She replied.

"So...if I asked to see her, what would you say?" Henry winked and pulled the right side of his mouth into an inquisitive smirk.

"I would have to say no. There are only three people allowed to visit Miss Thatcher and you, unfortunately, are not one of them." Faith recomposed herself and replied as seriously as a Nurse should, ensuring nothing wrong could occur on her watch.

"Three? You mean her parents and...Jack? Has he already arrived?" The Duke was now quite perplexed as, even though he had personally asked that Jack Thornton be summoned on this case, he wasn't expecting him to arrive until later that afternoon.

"No. Not Jack. Wait...So Jack's still in the picture?" Faith's eyes were wide now, showing how much more this situation was becoming complex. "I thought perhaps something had happened between those two…" She spoke her thoughts aloud, oblivious to her current guest. Then she added "The only people permitted to visit Elizabeth are her parents and a man called Charles Kensington, her now fiance."

"Hold on for a second...Now I'm utterly confused. They're engaged? Impossible! How could a woman who is suffering amnesia become engaged with a man who…" The Duke held his tongue, relieved that he didn't continue on his rant against Charles Kensington. Anything he said could potentially jeopardize the case that was currently being made against him.

"Who….what?" Faith replied, eager to hear what Henry had to spill on the brooding man.

"Oh, nothing. I forgot what I was going to say." He flashed Faith another genuine grin and asked hesitantly. "It appears I'm obviously out of sorts and could use your help getting up to speed on what's been going on around here. Would you care to join me for a coffee when you are done your shift?" His eyebrows were raised as he waited for her response.

"Ummm...sure. I'm just finishing up. I could meet you at Ruby's Diner, just down the street, in say...half an hour?" Faith was suddenly becoming nervous at the prospect of spending more time with this man, even if it was over something as innocent as coffee.

"Yes. I will see you then." Henry then nodded his head in his exit, as he strode out the unit's doors, leaving a wide-eyed blonde nurse in his wake.

Nurse Carter was standing, staring at the door Henry had walked out when she was interrupted by two people approaching Elizabeth's room. She could clearly recognize the form of Charles, however, the short doctor huddled beside him wasn't someone she recognized at all.

"Ummm...Excuse me. Doctor?" Faith resumed her professional role by monitoring all people who were allowed to be in this room.

The dark-haired man turned and looked at the Nurse who summoning him from behind the counter. "Oh yes. I am Doctor Hughes. I've been personally appointed as Miss Thatcher's doctor by her Father and Mr. Kensington." He smiled smugly and looked from Faith to the large man in his company, who was staring menacingly towards the young nurse.

"Oh. Okay…just needed to know. Thanks." Faith spoke quietly and looked down to the ground, clearly uncomfortable with this encounter. Luckily, the next Nurse arrived, relieving Faith of her duties and allowing her enough time to hit the change room to get ready for her meeting with Henry.

"Excuse me, Miss Thatcher?" Elizabeth's turned her head to the unfamiliar voice and found Charles standing beside an unfamiliar doctor.

"Yes?" Elizabeth asked.

The doctor walked briskly to her side and extended his hand for her to shake "I'm Dr. Hughes. You're newly appointed doctor."

Elizabeth brought her hand up to shake his and felt a sudden impression of uneasiness spread across her body as her skin was against his. "Doctor Hughes." Elizabeth nodded. "Are you here to magically cure me of my missing memories?" She asked, not understanding why he was replacing someone she considered perfectly capable, Dr. Baker

All attentions were suddenly drawn to the the doorway, where, the remaining approved guests on Elizabeth's VIP list entered the room. Mr. and Mrs. Thatcher exchanged introductions with the new doctor and stood, anticipating the reason behind his sudden referral.

"Now...I'm not sure what I'm about to offer you would be considered magic, Miss Thatcher, but it is a new cutting edge treatment that may just be the key to unlocking your memories." The weasley face of the doctor looked upon Elizabeth directly.

"And what would that be?" Elizabeth replied curtly, unable to fully trust this man before her.

"It's called Electroshock therapy. And it has quite a good success rate for those in your precarious position. Now...I know the name sounds a bit jarring, but, let me assure you I am a well-trained expert with this new therapy. You are in good hands." Dr. Hughes brought his hands together, hanging them in front of legs, as he finished his sentence.

"You can't be serious!" William Thatcher exclaimed, his voice reverberating off the four walls as his wife, Grace Thatcher, tightened her grasp on her husband's arm.

Charles intercepted William's cry delicately. "Mr. Thatcher. You know I would never recommend or support anything that could potentially harm our Elizabeth." He looked softly at the woman who was now sitting straight up in her bed, imaginary hackles standing on end.

"No. No way...I do _not_ consent! I will not be your guinea pig and subject myself to such a heinous act!" Elizabeth spoke, agitated by the discussion happening around her.

"Miss Thatcher, what if you never recover your memories? It's entirely possible, contrary to what other Doctors would have you believe. I'm offering you an opportunity to increase the odds of that happening exponentially." Dr. Hughes, dutifully carrying out his ruse, was suddenly becoming antsy with Elizabeth's stance.

"Father, Mother...Charles...Please! I can't believe you could possibly think this is ok!" Elizabeth exclaimed, exasperated. Alarm bells were loudly wailing in her soul and she felt a sudden urge to run. Away from this madness.

Grace managed to speak up. "Of course not dear. You do not have agree to this."

"Of course not darling. It's merely a suggestion...something you may have wished to consider" Charles chimed in. "However, I see that you are very upset and I'm sorry. I guess I'm just as anxious as you for you regain your memories and thought anything was worth a shot." He then stole a look to the doctor, their eyes meeting in silent agreement, and pushed a stray lock of hair from Elizabeth's face. "I just love you so much…" He whispered, unaware that the sentiment was spoken at all.

Jack Thornton had been in Hamilton all of thirty minutes before he found himself seated in a small, stuffy office, sitting directly across from Inspector Jones, the Mountie currently in charge of the investigation into the counterfeiting ring. Jack still found himself suffering from profound bitterness at being called away from Hope Valley a mere few days before Elizabeth's scheduled return. That and the fact he had had no chance to send her a telegram asking for her to reschedule her plans, even if it was to spend a couple of minutes together. Instead, he had to settle for nominal comfort of arriving in a city that had recently been graced with her presence. It was the only thing that made Hamilton bearable.

"Constable Thornton. Thank-you for making the trek out here to assist in this investigation." Investigator Jones nodded in Jack's direction. "As you may be aware, recent events have brought to light a potential key suspect in the counterfeiting case, and...if it weren't for the fact that he is also being considered as a suspect of attempted kidnapping, perhaps we wouldn't have gotten the break that we did."

Jack dutifully nodded in attentiveness, having been briefed on these vague facts already by Constable O'Leary. "Yes. I'm somewhat aware of the specifics. A British nobleman brought in to Headquarters some plates he said he recovered from the suspect's car, which had just been involved in a vehicular crash? And...something about a passenger, a woman, being involved as well?"

Inspector Jones inhaled deeply as the subject of the victim of the crash was brought up. He had been mulling this conversation around in his mind and still did not know how to bring about such a potentially devastating topic to the Constable. Even though he was told Jack Thornton was an excellent Mountie with promising investigative and special projects skills, he wasn't quite sure he was the best person to ask to be a part of this assignment. It hit too close to home. Inspector Jones carefully proceeded. "Along with the plates, a rope and rag which tested positive for chloroform, were recovered from the back seat. A local wealthy heiress was sitting in the front seat when the crash occurred and we believe she may be able to provide more information into the events of the night."

Jack sat silently and thought about the information that had just been shared. He finally spoke "Okay. Well it seems you have probable cause of kidnapping...holding the wealthy woman for ransom. But why would you need her if you are supposedly generating your own wealth illegally? Hmmm...seems quite strange. Haven't you spoken to the woman yet?"

Inspector Jones looked down at the report in front of him, his hands clasped as his arms stretched out on the desk. Dreading his next move, he turned and opened his desk drawer and withdrew a newspaper, holding the page folded in half. "That's the tricky part. You see...the woman suffered a concussion resulting in amnesia. Seems she can't remember the events preceding the accident. So much so that she's now convinced the man who tried to harm her is her fiance." Inspector Jones shook his head at the absurdity of it all.

Adjusting himself in his seat, Jack brought himself forward slightly to ask, "I hear what you're saying Inspector but, where do I come into all of this? Why am I here?" Feeling useful was one of the motivating factors that propelled Jack to became a Mountie, and sitting here listening to a case so far removed from his regular jurisdiction had him feeling completely out of his element.

"We need you to pay a visit to the victim in the hospital. Ask her some questions. See if she really has no memories. Determine if she's playing along with his ruse. To protect him"

"OK. Very well. Tell me Inspector, who are these people? I think I should at least know who I am to be dealing with?" Resolved to comply with the agency's request Jack was attempting to get this case over with quickly to enable him return home.

Inspector Jones breathed heavily and spread the paper out before Jack, letting him take in the sight of the two individuals currently requiring further investigation. He braced himself the young Mountie's reaction.

Jack's eyes widened and his breathing completely stopped as he took in the picture before him. It was Elizabeth. His Elizabeth. He momentarily forgot the implication that _she_ was the one injured in the accident and, instead, his stomach roiled at the sight of her in such a close encounter with a man he was beginning to hate with an intensity he had never known before. Jack wanted to believe that Charles had forced her into this kiss, however, his prior insecurities helped fuel the negative thoughts that told him Elizabeth could have been a willing participant. Either way, Jack's world had been flipped completely upside down with the revelation that Inspector Jones had thrown at him. He felt like he had been punched in the gut.

Jack used all of his resolve to compose himself in the professional manner which was expected of him and stood up, his legs unsure of the weight they were asked to bear. He looked directly at the inspector with a stone-cold face and replied. "I will talk to Miss Thatcher in the morning." He then turned and walked away.


	10. Chapter 10

Chapter Ten

Elizabeth had been contemplating her options all night, obsessively scrambling over the plausible steps she could take to get herself out of this hospital and away from the increasingly tense presence of her parents and Charles. The shock of the whole accident was slowly starting to wear off and Elizabeth was feeling the full emotional impact of losing a whole year of her life. She felt absolutely powerless, not completely convinced that the information about her life was entirely accurate. She heard their words, watched their faces, but yet didn't feel the resonation of truth in much of what she was told.

She was relieved to have the morning to herself, free of the monotonous company of her parents and fiance. The word fiance did not sit well with Elizabeth as she felt absolutely no attraction to him whatsoever. Physical or emotional. She could sense a deep tension in the room whenever her father and Charles were at the hospital at the same time and it made Elizabeth want to scream with madness.

Elizabeth looked down at the ring on her left hand and knit her eyebrows into a contemplative frown. She felt no adoration for the pricey jewel and contemplated ripping it off her finger and throwing out the window. As she was daydreaming about escaping the confines of this hospital, Nurse Carter's arrival broke her thoughts.

"You doin' okay Elizabeth? You look a little upset." The care and concern in her voice was genuine as she looked at her patient.

"I'm just...I don't know." Elizabeth looked down and shook her head gently, twisting her fingers nervously in her lap. "I just...I have the strangest feeling...like I've fallen into another world and I don't know who I am anymore. At least, this is not the Elizabeth Thatcher I would have pictured as myself a year ago."

Faith reached out her hand and clasped one of Elizabeth's gently, bringing an end to her obvious outward agitation. "I can't pretend to know how you feel, Elizabeth. But I _do_ know you can never go wrong if you listen your heart." She smiled sweetly at her patient who returned her gesture half heartedly, Faith's words settling in soberingly.

As Nurse Carter exited the room, Elizabeth stood. She was craving fresh air, no matter how brisk, and went to open the second storey window. As she stood, letting the mid-autumn air sink into her skin, a noise below caught her attention. The door of a closing vehicle was followed by the sight of a man walking towards the entrance. Elizabeth froze still, jarred by the sight of this person she didn't even know. She stared intently, watching as the man walked directly under her window, and jumped slightly when he looked up and locked eyes with hers. Elizabeth was unable to move as the man held her gaze briefly before looking back towards the entrance.

Not until the man was out of sight did Elizabeth feel herself exhale in one sudden force of air. The breeze on her face was cool but a warmness spread through her body, just as the deafening thud of her heart beat in her ears. Elizabeth stood at the window, revelling in her body's heightened senses in response to seeing this stranger. This was the first time she had felt alive since regaining consciousness, and she clung to the spark it had created, hoping to sustain its uplifting effect on her.

Elizabeth was standing with her eyes closed, her back to the door when she was broken out of her reverie by Nurse Carter thoughtfully knocking. "Elizabeth?" Faith asked. "I have a Constable from the North West Mounted Police here who would like to ask you some questions about the night of the accident. Is that okay with you?" Elizabeth could feel the Nurse's eyes on the back of her head but made no motion of moving.

Elizabeth hadn't been prepared for a visitor. Her curiosity was peaked at the possibility that the man she had met eyes with from the window could be the Constable in question. Then she quickly dismissed that notion, realizing she would be in the company of someone wearing the familiar red coat of the Mounties, rather than the form-fitting trousers and plaid shirt that was seared in her mind currently. Elizabeth nodded softly and replied. "Yes. You can send them in."

Elizabeth continued to stand at the window, when she felt, rather than heard, a presence enter the room. Her shoulders tensed slightly as she slowly turned around, her eyes drawn to those of the man's directly in front of her. It was him! From just moments ago! Elizabeth felt suddenly flustered but continued to hold his gaze. A gaze that was trained to provide reassuring comfort. His voice eventually broke the silence.

"Miss Thatcher?" A look of sadness flashed on Jack's features, perhaps coinciding with his internal reaction at seeing the severe, albeit healing, bruise on her forehead. The swelling and redness was receding, leaving traces of impact twinged blue and purple, but the potential severity of her injury was inflicting internal damage to his soul. He watched her read his pained reaction and she shyly reached up to a comb her fingers through her hair, trying to cover the unsightly wound.

"Yes." Elizabeth breathed in response, her attention fully steered in Jack's direction. "And you? Who might you be?"

"Constable Thornton." He reached into his pocket to produce his badge and extended his right hand in welcoming, fighting the urge to envelope her into his arms and return her to Hope Valley with him immediately. The only thing stopping him was his concern for her potentially delicate physical condition and Jack wasn't about to remove her from the medical care she still required.

"Nice to meet you Constable." Elizabeth brought her hand out to shake his, noticing his gentle squeeze before releasing his hold. She continued to smile and looked expectantly at her guest. "I'm told you have some questions for me. Would you care to sit?" She motioned for the two chairs resting beside the bed.

Jack nodded and motioned towards the chair, his eyes following her careful movements as she sat down slowly, pulling the edges of her lilac robe together as she settled. His attention to fine detail told him Elizabeth was both agitated and excited...and he wished the latter was a result of him being in her presence. Looking Elizabeth directly in the eye, Jack replied. "Let me first start by saying how sorry I am. For your accident." He nodded slightly towards Elizabeth's head injury. "I'm told you were very lucky to survive." His voice turned suddenly quiet. Barely above whisper.

Elizabeth was watching the Constable speak but couldn't process what he was saying as all of her attention was spent focusing on the reaction her body was having to the sound of his voice. It felt reassuring, familiar even, but she struggled trying to pull out any recognition from the black hole of nothingness swirling in recent memories. "Yes. Lucky. It's definitely one word for it." Elizabeth sadly smirked and looked briefly away, as if she were trying to hide her true feelings reflected in her eyes.

Jack noticed her withdrawal and quickly tried understand it. "You seem upset, Miss Thatcher. Is everything alright?" Jack brought himself to rest near the edge of his seat, leaning his body closer to hers as he watched her reaction.

His nearness sent a warm flush to her cheeks as she struggled with how she would respond to him. The part of Elizabeth that felt like she could tell Constable Thornton anything loosened her tongue and caused her to want to pour out all of the troubles that were resting in her head, like how she had begun to obsessively doubt her existence. She looked gently to the man across from her and addressed his concern. "Nothing...is right. It's all wrong...All of it." She shook her head, straining to hold in her tumultuous emotions.

"What's wrong. Please...you can trust me." Jack reached out and momentarily touched her hand, a conditioned habit from their former courtship, and looked for any glimmer of recognition in her gaze.

Elizabeth took in a deep breath and sighed expressively. She was struggling with putting the words together that would make any sense to someone not in her position, let alone a Constable of the law she had just met. Elizabeth suddenly remembered the words that Faith had spoken only minutes earlier, a reminder to listen to her heart, and she decided to let her guard down to this man. She felt a sense of absolute trust emanating from his presence and went with her gut instinct.

"I feel I'm being lied to." Elizabeth softly began, tears forming in her soulful blue eyes. "The life I'm _told_ I have does not feel like _my_ life at all. It's all very...confounding." Elizabeth brought both hands up to her face and gently wiped away the stream of tears falling on her lap. She began to lightly laugh at her statement and tried to lighten the heavy moment. "But I'm sure that's not what you came here to find out. I'm sorry for distracting you from your purpose here today Constable Thornton..please, do proceed with the questions you had for me."

"Okay...umm…." Jack took a deep breath to re-focus on his original plan and looked at Elizabeth neutrally. "I need to know if you have any recall of the events that occurred the night of your sister's wedding. Anything at all...no matter how insignificant you feel it may be." He looked at her expectantly, hoping at any time to see the spark of his Elizabeth returning to him.

Elizabeth broke her gaze from his and looked over his shoulder, her face twisted with pain at trying to extract an image from her recollection. "No." She whispered heavily. "I can't remember a thing. Nothing. Trust me...I've wracked my brain for days already, desperate to know the truth. Don't you think I would have said something by now." She snapped back, clearly frustrated with her predicament.

"I don't know. Would you? How does Charles Kensington factor into all of this? Are you trying to protect him?" Jack was startled at his boldness, nervous that his unleashed hatred for Charles was going to scare Elizabeth into retreat. He watched her features contort into a confused scowl, clearly processing his words carefully.

"Protect him?" Elizabeth looked at Jack disbelievingly. "From what? I'm not sure I know what you are implying, Constable, but I am not the type of person to lie to officials of the law. I told you...I have no memories of that night...or the night before it, or the year's full of nights before that!" Elizabeth's breathing had intensified and she found her chest heaving in response. She stood up quickly and held on to the arm of the chair for support, a slight dizziness catching her off guard. Jack instantly stood and clasped her elbow in his, relieved when she grabbed on to his arm for extra support.

"Elizabeth!" He breathed and closed his eyes, realizing he had spoken her first name aloud. Jack was reaching his breaking point. Elizabeth's inability to remember him or their relationship was more tortuous than any form of medieval methods he had read about in books.

"Yes, Constable?" She gently responded, her eyes focused on the feel of his hand on her arm. She froze in one place and refused to separate herself from such a close electric proximity to him.

"Well...don't hesitate to call Headquarters if you start to remember anything more. From that night of the accident...to anything. Please." Jack slowly released his grasp on Elizabeth's arm and turned his professionally appointed stare her way. "I hope to hear from you soon."

As he took a few steps back toward the door, Elizabeth instantly missed their closeness, even if she had only experienced it as fleeting seconds in time. She could still feel the imprint his hand had left on her arm. Elizabeth half-smiled and asked, inquisitively. "And who shall I ask for? May I ask for you by name?"

"You can ask for Jack. Constable Jack Thornton." He smiled knowingly at Elizabeth, desperate to see any spark of their connection in her eyes.

"Have a good day, Jack." Elizabeth replied.

Jack nodded and hurriedly turned to walk out of her room, fearful for the tears he would unleash at leaving Elizabeth. His plan to exit the hospital quickly was interrupted by Faith who stopped him at the Nurse's counter. "Jack. Before you go...I have something for you."

Jack turned at approached the counter, masking his devastation with a look of defeat. "I'm sorry, Faith. Can this wait? I just want to get out of here...I can't…" His voice wavered and completely stopped when he saw what Faith was holding.

"It's Elizabeth's ring." Faith spoke gently. The one, I assume, you gave her. I just wanted to make sure it got back to it's rightful owner...and I'm sure you're right person to make that happen."

Moments later, Elizabeth walked back to the window to catch a glimpse of Constable Thornton leaving. She watched him as he exited the building to make his way towards his vehicle and secretly hoped he would care enough to look her way again. Elizabeth desperately watched him and felt tears streaming down her cheek, completely powerless to the surge of emotions that were overflowing within her heart as she watched this man walk away. "Jack." She whispered, hoping he felt her use his name.

Jack quickly walked past Elizabeth's window and didn't look up as he feared if he did, he would not be able to follow-through with his official orders and stick to the case at hand. As much as he loved Elizabeth, and wanted to be the one to help restore her memories, he knew it was best to pursue the ongoing investigation into Charles Kensington's shady business dealings and remove this man from the picture for good. From recent updates at Headquarters, he knew they were only a matter of days away from being able to serve arrest warrants to key players in the ring, and felt he would be able to focus all of his attentions to Elizabeth once it was all out of the way. Then they could start rebuilding their life, together, after their biggest obstacle to their relationship was sufficiently behind bars.

"Jack…" Elizabeth whispered again, slightly louder than the last time. She was watching him enter his vehicle and close the door, oblivious to her attentions to him. "No...Jack. Please!" Elizabeth started to panic at this impending departure, a rise of memories was hovering on the brink of explosion in her mind.

As the vehicle started to slowly leave it's spot, Elizabeth was struck by an intense realization that she knew this man. All of the memories from the past year washed over her like a tsunami, flooding her senses with the intense love and longing for Jack that were buried in her subconscious since the accident. Elizabeth pulled herself up to the window, trying to get his attention in any way possible. "Jack!" She cried loudly waving her hands wildly in the open air. "I remember! Please...don't leave. You can't….leave…!"

The vehicle did not stop. Jack could not hear Elizabeth's cries.

Elizabeth spun around quickly, intending to run for the door and make her way to Mountie Headquarters to find Jack and tell him how much she remembered. As she flew to the door, she was stopped in her tracks by the appearance of a large body hovering in front of her. Large hands squeezed both of her shoulders tightly, preventing her from moving.

Elizabeth looked up, shocked to see the contorted face of Charles leering down at her. "Hello Elizabeth." Charles calmly spoke and maintained his strong grip on her shoulders. "I hope you said your goodbyes to your precious Jack...because that's the last time you will ever see him again." Elizabeth's eyes widened in horror and she struggled to release herself from his grasp. Her efforts, however, were useless against the syringe of liquid used to sedate her.

For the second time in a week, Elizabeth's world went blank.


	11. Chapter 11

Chapter Eleven

The North West Mounted Police headquarters was teeming with officials currently faced with the monumental task of pouring over the books of William Thatcher's shipping conglomerate, finitely combing through the archives to gather as much intel about the ring's operations as possible. Much progress had been made and enough evidence gathered to warrant the arrest of William Thatcher himself, having apprehended him at his downtown office earlier in the morning.

Jack had just entered the headquarters' front doors, his face a solemn mask trying to hide the inner turmoil he was experiencing from having just met with Elizabeth. An Elizabeth that still had no recollection of their intense connection with one another. Jack squeezed his eyes shut to block out the bitterness rising in the back of his throat and refocus his attentions to the case before him. He blearily walked back towards the general commons room to pour himself another cup of coffee, completely reliant on the warm liquid to keep his mind sharp as he had had little sleep since arriving the day before. Jack's body was weary from his recent travels combined with having to see the woman he loved so fragile with broken memories but felt a renewed energy when he considered the prospect of watching Charles Kensington be put under arrest. Jack was slated to be included with the task-force's apprehension of the man in two hour's time, his arrest had been accelerated to coincide with his expected appearance at Thatcher's Shipping headquarters to attend his weekly Executive Operations meeting.

Jack then felt his heart sink as he thought about Elizabeth's father sitting in custody at this very moment. When Jack had learned of William's supposed involvement in this shady business in his briefing from the task team, his mind couldn't keep up with the information being presented. As convincing as all of the auditor's findings were, Jack couldn't help wish that this weren't really happening as the impact on Elizabeth would be too much to see her deal with. The only man Jack cared to see bearing the weight of all charges was Charles, but he was careful to not let his obvious hatred of him be shown to his fellow Mounties. His duty to remain impartial under all circumstances was a struggle to follow at the moment.

As Jack was leaving the commons room to meet with his task force, he bumped into Inspector Jones who appeared to be relieved at locating the Constable. "Jack. I'm glad I found you." The inspector stood back and composed himself. "You're being summoned to speak to our man in custody, William Thatcher. He says he's only willing to talk to one man...and that would be you. Please follow me and I'll escort you to his holding quarters and debrief you on latest."

Jack had mixed feelings towards William's request and his mind reeled with possible reasons why the shipping tycoon would try to reach out to him now. Did he truly trust Jack or did he think he could use his leverage as Elizabeth's father to do his bidding? Jack's mind raced between the potential scenarios and strained to concentrate on Inspector Jones' words as he kept pace walking through the maze-like corridors and stairwell, en-route to the high-security wing. The Inspector stopped in front of a non-descript black door and waved his clearance through the small glass insert and looked back towards Jack. "We really need you to get him to talk Jack. Do whatever you've got to do to get him to cooperate with us."

The door slowly opened and Jack hesitantly stepped into the dimly lit room, currently laden with cigar smoke, and stood directly in front of William Thatcher. Jack stood tall and regarded Mr. Thatcher neutrally, ensuring he met his gaze dead on. William softened his steely look and physically gestured for Jack to sit. "Would you care for a cigar, Jack?"

"It's Constable Thornton, Sir. And no. Thank-you. I don`t smoke." Jack sat down and looked at Elizabeth's father, stifling a chuckle at the role reversal currently playing out...for once Jack held the upper hand. Jack took a deep breath and continued, eager to know the reason for his summoning. "What would you like to share with me, Mr. Thatcher? I'm curious to learn why you feel I'm now worth your consideration." Jack stared at William with a fierce subtly of distaste sparked by their historical encounters.

William smiled sadly and looked defeatedly at the Constable, regarding him with honest admiration, and replied. "I deserve that, Constable. You have every right to dislike me, however, I know how highly Elizabeth thinks of you and I've been a fool, thus far, for ever doubting her." William visibly winced at the mention of Elizabeth`s name and Jack could see her father's genuine love for her, as misguided as it had been. William continued. "I'm fearful for my daughter's life..I see the monster of a man that Charles has become, and I'm sick with fear for what he has planned for Elizabeth." William inhaled sharply and looked away, overcome with outward emotion at his confession.

Jack swallowed hard and absorbed William`s words, carefully calculating how he should proceed with his questions. "You refer to Mr. Kensington as a monster. Do you care to elaborate why? Considering you were pushing him to marry your daughter a month ago, I'm curious what else, besides being co-conspirators in this country's biggest money laundering and counterfeiting rings, could cause you to want to distance yourself from him."

William extinguished his cigar while listening to Jack`s charged response and slowly shook his head at being accused of criminal intent. His shoulders fell away from his neck as he brought his hand up to his temple to lightly massage his tension headache`s increasing throb. "The only thing I am guilty of is trusting that man. I foolishly put my entire business within his hands. I treated him as my son…" William`s words trailed off and he looked up to meet the Jack's stare. "This is all my fault, Constable."

"How so? Are you saying you are, in fact, guilty of all charges pending against you?" Jack replied, struggling to maintain his strict level of professionalism. His gut told him things were going to get very candid with Elizabeth`s father.

"No. I'm saying, it is my fault that Charles is as close to my family and my livelihood as he is. I steered him since he was a child, bringing him under my wing when his father, my former business partner, suddenly passed away." William paused bent forward slightly in his seat, his elbows settled on his knees, and quickly continued. "I think I need to start from the beginning."

Jack remained silent to allow Mr. Thatcher to continue. "When Elizabeth was six, my wife was expecting our fourth child. I was desperately hoping for a son. Don't get me wrong, Constable, I deeply love my three girls, but...naturally, I wanted a son." Jack nodded in understanding and let William continue. "My son, James Thatcher, died the day he was born. The cord had wrapped around his neck." William paused for a moment to contain his overflow of grief returning within his words. "Grace was so traumatized that she shut me out of her life. She was very depressed and pushed me away, feeling like a failure that she couldn't give me the son I had dreamed about for a long time and knowing she could not physically give me more children... I had no one to grieve with...and that's what led me to Irene Kensington."

Jack felt his compassion rise up in response to William's loss and was suddenly intrigued at his reference to an alternate Kensington. "Irene Kensington?" Jack asked. "A relative of Charles?"

"His mother." William replied sharply. "The wife of my business partner, Nathan Kensington, to be exact." He pulled his stare out of the line of Jack's as he looked back towards the black door and felt the weight of the last sixteen years start to slowly lift. "Nathan Kensington was a drunk and an absent husband. I can say this because I've known the man since childhood and wasn't fond of the man he _became_ after our company's success." He looked at Jack knowingly and continued. "Irene and I started having a relationship...each of us feeling rejected from our spouse...and continued to see each other regularly for almost two years. It wasn't until Nathan was discovered floating beside our central shipping dock down at Hamilton Port...his love of scotch overriding his ability to see straight...that Irene and I decided to end things."

"So, you're saying Charles is rightful co-owner to Thatcher Shipping?" Jack inquired.

"No. You see...Nathan owed a lot of debts due to his recent proclivity for gambling and it took his entire stake in our company to render those debts paid. He essentially left his family destitute. But I...feeling all of the guilt and shame of my affair...I made sure that Irene and Charles were very comfortable after Nathan's death, and made sure Charles attended the best boarding schools and Universities. The depth of my grief for my lost son, combined with the shame of my infidelity on my wife and family, urged me to help this boy. I felt I could at least try to repair some of the damage I had inflicted when I had been with his mother." He sighed heavily and tilted his head into the grasp of both hands as he recalled a truth he had been trying to keep buried, hidden from his family and eyes of society.

"And Mrs. Thatcher? Is she aware of your infidelity?" Jack inquired solemnly.

William slightly nodded, his head still held in his hands. "Yes. I admitted my faults to her not long after Nathan passed. I couldn't live with the guilt any longer and I truly feel like the luckiest man on earth that Grace found it in her heart to eventually forgive my indiscretions."

Jack sat motionless for a moment and tried to process the confession that Elizabeth's father was sharing with him. His brows formed a scowl as he continued with his questions for William. "I can understand your need to treat Charles as one of your own Mr. Thatcher, however, what I can't understand is why you would let someone manipulate your daughter and go along with his sick charade implanting false memories into her mind...it sickens me to think Elizabeth's own father would just willingly hand her over into the hands of someone so devious…"

William's head quickly snapped up out of his hands and he sat straight up, Jack's words stinging his pride as a doting, loving father. "I didn't willingly go along with Charles' demented plan. Before I even knew his actions, he made it clear to me that I was not to cross him or else he would set me up for fraud...and set me up as a powerful figure in this alleged counterfeiting ring. Trust me, Jack, when I say I have absolutely nothing to do with any illegal dealings. I am guilty of ignorance, and trusting the wrong man, but not of the charges laid against me."

"But how could you let someone do that to your daughter?" Jack's tone was becoming increasingly frustrated, his need to protect Elizabeth overriding his ability to keep calm.

"It's no secret that I wished for Elizabeth to marry someone more suited to her societal standing...be it Charles Kensington or some Nobleman from across the pond. But...is it wrong for a father to want the best for his daughters? The thought of any one of my children suffering needlessly makes me shudder, and I truly felt that this life...the one Elizabeth has turned her back on...was the safest and most suitable life I could provide. You can't blame me for wanting the best for my family." William stopped suddenly and looked at Jack, hoping he could understand his plight.

Jack regarded Mr. Thatcher carefully and sighed lightly. "Of course I can understand your need to provide the best life for your family, Mr. Thatcher. But...it is very difficult for me to see this situation from your perspective as I know how deeply Elizabeth feels your disappointment towards her. All she wants is for you to be proud of her and recognize her achievements."

William heaved a heavy sigh and covered his face in both hands, fighting the tears that were forming and readying to fall. He lightly shook his head back and forth before removing his hands from his face. "Jack...do you know how it feels to break a woman's heart?"

The poignant question caught Jack completely off guard. His thoughts quickly flashed back to the day he had shut Elizabeth out. That recent afternoon when Charles had proposed to Elizabeth and Jack had tried to push her away, his heartbreak over the situation blinding him to her true feelings. Jack nodded slowly towards William and replied softly. "Yes. Unfortunately, I do."

"Well let me tell you...that is nothing compared to the sick feeling you get when you break your own daughter's heart." William's voiced cracked and he looked quickly away towards the window, his emotional distress getting the better of him. "I have to live with the fact that two of my daughter's have lost complete faith in me...all because I can't conform to the new ways of the world. It appears my generation can't keep up with all of the changes taking place...like the world is evolving faster than we were ever prepared for…"

Jack acknowledged Mr. Thatcher's words silently and let his comment about breaking his daughter's heart sink in. He was opinion on this once imposing man was starting to soften, and he was starting to see William as the man he was, rather than the enigma of the man he held animosity towards. "Was this what you summoned me here for, Mr. Thatcher? Or...do you have any other information to share?"

An abrupt knock at the door startled the pair and Jack instantly stood up to face the entrance, curious as to who was interrupting his conversation. Surely there was more than enough time left before having to leave with the task force to apprehend Charles.

Inspector Jones, followed closely by Bill Avery and a fair-haired stranger Jack had yet to be introduced to, standing just outside the entrance of the door and summoned Jack towards them. Jack quickly approached, curious as to the need for this interruption.

Inspector Jones broke the silence quickly. "Constable Thornton. You must come with us, immediately. We have a situation developing."

Jack's eyes widened at the urgent tone in his superior's delivery and raised his eyebrows in question. "What's going on?"

"It's Elizabeth. She's missing...along with her nurse from the hospital. The team we had watching over Charles' movements were duped into believing he had yet to leave his house this morning...but we've confirmed he is no longer in the area."

"When did this happen? I left the hospital a little over an hour ago…" Jack's breathing was becoming ragged and difficult to continue, his head throbbing with revelation from this latest development.

The strange man spoke up to reply to Jack's inquiry. "Not much longer after you left the hospital, I arrived to pay a visit with Nurse Carter to find out how Miss Thatcher was doing. It was then I saw the disarray behind the Nurses counter and determined the pair were missing."

Jack looked upon this man tentatively, unsure if he could trust him or not. "And you are…?"

Inspector Jones interjected. "I'd like you to meet Inspector Henry Cavendish from London's Scotland Yard. It appears this counterfeiting ring stretches out across the Atlantic and he is here investigating potential shipping routes of this syndicate. Believe me when I say, this case is bigger than I ever imagined."

Jack turned to Inspector Cavendish and shook his hand solidly. "Inspector. Any clue as to where Charles could have taken them?"

Henry shook his head sadly and replied. "We've placed men at all train depots within a thirty mile radius and have men combing through all Hamilton ports. Unfortunately, we have yet to find any traces of them. My investigations in London traced a lot of activity through Montreal, however, that's much too far for the trio to flee to in the past hour."

Jack quickly snapped his attention back to Mr. Thatcher, who was standing now, watching the four men with a terrified look in his eyes. "Mr. Thatcher. Think...carefully. Do you have any idea where Charles could have gone. Any idea at all?" His desperation as finding a resolution to this situation was more than evident in his emotionally charged questioning of Elizabeth's father.

William stood in shock, overcome with distress at the news of his missing daughter and having no physical ability to try and help find her. "Ummm...let me think…." He stalled and tried to calm his mind enough to think straight. "Burlington. Yes...that's it. You may want to head across the bay to Burlington's port. I own a couple of docks over there...it's not officially under Thatcher Shipping...rather, it's a side business I recently started where I recover decommissioned transport vessels and overhaul and fix them so that they can be returned to my fleet. It's a long shot, Constable, but...it's all I can think of."

Jack quickly turned to head out the door and stopped quickly before leaving. He turned suddenly, meeting the eyes of a man he felt a little less hostile towards, thanks to their recent conversation. "Mr. Thatcher." Jack spoke.

"Yes?" William replied.

"I need you to trust that I _will_ find your daughter. No matter what."

William simply nodded.


	12. Chapter 12

**Thank-you, again, for all of your kind reviews and it really is a pleasure to write for you all. Also, I am very sorry for the length of time between updates lately...my life has been a little busy. Hopefully, future updates will be much more timely.**

Chapter Twelve

A deep shiver followed by the pungent, mildew-laden scent of fetid water slowly aroused Elizabeth from her deep oblivion. The monumental effort of opening her eyelids, even briefly, provided her with little awareness to her surroundings as the absence of light was losing its fight against the dark shadows currently enveloping her. Elizabeth remained still and mentally exercised her foggy mind by running through a checklist of her current faculties. She tried moving her legs but found they were held together at her ankles. Next, she moved her attention up towards her midsection and realized her arms were skewed uncomfortably behind her back and were bound together at her wrists. And tightly so, as evidenced by the burn she felt when trying to move them around. Elizabeth lightly lifted her head from the ground and realized she was laying face down on a cold, damp wooden surface. "Where in God's name am I?" Elizabeth exclaimed loudly in her head as a surge of panic made her heart start beating uncontrollably. Struggling to sit up, Elizabeth froze as she heard a pair of familiar voices cut through the monotonous humming she felt buzzing through her body.

"We've been given special clearances through the locks and are on course to arrive in Montreal by evening tomorrow. At which point, we can dock and transfer onto a Frigate I've arranged to take us all the way to the Cayman's…unless of course, you've changed your mind, Charles?"

"No. That's perfect. My uncle will be expecting our arrival in a week's time." Elizabeth's insides recoiled violently at the sound of his voice. As much as she wanted to scream and protest against his continued control over her life, she quickly stopped herself and remained still, realizing there was more value in hearing what was spoken.

Charles continued. "I just need you to ensure our precious live cargo will be kept oblivious to our endeavours, if you know what I'm saying. I've no need for one of our ladies to wake up suddenly until we are safely past the locks and out at sea. Now...you're absolutely positive the sedative you gave them will do what we need it to do?"

"Yes. I have more, if need be. Once we are in the open sea we can begin their therapy we've discussed. It should be no problem wiping their memories and implanting new ones."

Elizabeth's eyes, while not being able to see in the dark, sprung wide open at the mention of administering their sick vision of 'therapy'. She instantly knew the voice she was hearing belonged to Dr. Hughes and her detest for both men continued to increase with each word spoken. Slowly, Elizabeth's panic was turning to a boiling rage as she fought to keep quiet and listened to the continued conversation close by.

"Well...let me tell you, Nigel...this part of the plan better work. Don't make me regret letting you bring along your little nurse as a thank-you for all you have done. I've put in a great deal of careful planning to get to this stage of my plan and won't hesitate to remove obstacles from my path, if you get my meaning. I've come too far and am too close to my ultimate goal of living the rest of my life in tropical luxury with William Thatcher's beloved little princess as my personal slave that I can't possibly return."

"Yes Charles. I understand. You will not be disappointed."

Charles continued. "That's exactly what I want to hear Nigel. Now...let's head up to the bridge and ensure the Captain is staying on course as planned. We need to maintain a tight ship here, no pun intended."

Elizabeth strained to hear their fading footsteps before physically thrashing her arms and legs and determine the extent of her confinement. As desperate tears were starting to fall, her ears were met again by the sound of another human in close proximity. This time, however, she could hear their distress in the form of low moans and, judging by Charles and Dr. Hughes exchange, her companion was Nurse Carter.

"Faith!" Elizabeth whispered loudly. "Faith! Is that you? It's me, Elizabeth. Are you okay?"

"Hmmmmmmm…Elizabeth….hmmmmm. I don't feel well...I think I'm going to be sick...where are we?"

"I think we're on a ship. Can you move your arms or legs?" Elizabeth asked quickly, hoping her captive-mate had been given more abilities in movement than herself.

"No. I think I'm tied up. Oh my god Elizabeth...what's happening?" The sound of hopeless sobs erupted from Faith's chest and Elizabeth closed her eyes in helplessness.

"Faith. Please. Listen to me. We need to stay calm and figure out what to do...We need to first get ourselves untied." Elizabeth stalled and racked her mind for options. She began to inch her way around the floor, using her legs as a sweep to determine if there was anything remotely useable in her immediate space. Slowly, as she began to approach Faith's position, she heard the nurse speak up.

"If you can get close enough to reach into my front pocket, I think I may have something that will work." Faith spoke excitedly.

"What's that?" Elizabeth grunted as she felt herself brush up against her Nurse. She promptly turned her back to her and, with her arms bound tightly behind her back, clumsily felt around for an indication of a pocket. Finding the opening, Elizabeth was shocked to grasp a solid metal object.

"It's a Swiss Army Knife...I had to remove it from a patient and was attempting to place it in our safe at the hospital...it's the last thing I remember." Faith beamed a huge smile which could be tangibly felt by Elizabeth.

Elizabeth said a silent prayer in her head as she deftly held on to the tool and patiently worked her way through the gadget until she found a serrated edge pop out of hiding. "Turn yourself around so that I can start working to free your hands…" Elizabeth instructed. Once positioned properly, Elizabeth furiously began the tedious process of sawing through the dense hemp rope and loudly exhaled in relief once she felt Faith break out of her bindings.

Next, Faith took the tool and removed the holds from her legs and began freeing the woman who, only the day before, had been a very important patient of hers. Once freed, the two woman sat up and maintained a tight grasp on the other, fearful that the dark would pull them away once more - each fully realizing that their chances of getting out of this mess exponentially increased by sticking together.

"What do we do now…?" Faith asked quietly.

Elizabeth stalled, unable to answer. She was fighting a huge wave of shock as she recalled the words Charles had spoken only moments before. Charles was attempting to take her far away from those she loved, had plans to erase her memories and was planning on turning her into a slave of his! The absolute enormity of her situation was completely sinking in and the only response Elizabeth could feel was anger. Intense bloody anger. There was no way in hell she was about to roll over and let this happen to her. Regardless of the recent bad feelings she had had towards her father, she pulled all of the strength he had instilled in her since childhood and vowed to get back to the life she loved. To the people she loved. To Jack.

"Now...we wait. It won't be long until someone comes to check on us. And when they do, we'll just have to make them sorry for ever thinking they could do this to us." Elizabeth wrapped her left arm around Faith and felt her sink into her shoulder and listened to the light sobs coming out of her chest as she patiently waited for her captors to make another appearance.

Since leaving Mountie Headquarters and arriving at the docks in Burlington, as William Thatcher had advised, Jack anxiously surveyed his surroundings for any clues as the whereabouts of Charles Kensington. His mind wrestled with his heart's incessant worry over Elizabeth's well-being and he struggled to maintain focus on this latest wild-goose chase, desperate for any sign that may point to their location.

While Bill scoured the grounds outside, Jack and Henry approached the main building at Mr. Thatcher's Burlington office and frantically scrambled through the heavy wooden doors, entering the head office overlooking the expanses of Lake Ontario. Their attention was immediately drawn to a faint, familiar sound of a metallic tapping.

"Do you hear that?" Henry asked.

Jack quickly scanned the room and found the source of the ticking to be a telegram machine monotonously communicating via Morse Code and crossed the large, expansive room to inspect the source more critically. He pulled a pencil out from his shirt pocket and began to carefully scribble his translation of the message being communicated.

Henry patiently stood waiting as Jack methodically pieced together the message and was relieved when his partner looked up, ready to communicate his findings.

"The message states VESSEL CK1589 CLEARED FOR PASSAGE THROUGH SEAWAY: PROCEED WITH CAUTION." Jack's eyes widened as he finished the message and he turned to stare out vast horizon of the quickly darkening lake, hoping to find any trace of the boat's existence on edges of the earth. He let out a soft, defeated chuckle before turning to Henry and speaking. "CK...you'd think he'd be a little more careful with the details."

"I agree. In some respects this man is a genius but on others...it's clear he's slipping up. Definitely a sign that he is feeling the pressure we have put on him recently." Henry advised.

"Luckily, the only direction for them to flee is east. Which would correlate nicely to your findings about the counterfeiters' Montreal hub. But...How do we catch them?" Jack asked exasperatedly. "There is no way we can take a train and meet them at any of the seaway's locks and we most definitely can't make it to Montreal in time…"

Henry could physically feel the frustration emanating from his partner and approached the window to view the docks immediately outside the office. His eyes locked on a large, streamlined wooden powerboat currently bobbing in the mild waves of the water, held steadfast to the closest dock. Henry immediately recognized this boat and exclaimed. "Well...We must have an angel looking out for us cause that there, my friend…" He spoke coyly and tapped the window to indicate where he was looking. "...happens to be the fastest motorboat available." Henry chuckled and continued. "What are the odds that William Thatcher has the same boat as myself? Incredible! Let's go, my friend, we have damsels in distress and a very unstable monster to apprehend!"

The sun was slowly beginning its descent towards the western horizon as Jack, Henry and Bill Avery raced across the bay in William Thatcher's prized speedboat, aptly named Gracious Lady. As the fastest motorized boat available, Jack was relieved as the sleek boat effortlessly cut through the increasing waves en route to the lone, hulking freighter beginning to appear in the distance.

"We are gaining very nicely on her." Henry shouted, trying to make his voice heard over the loud roar of the direct-drive engine. "I believe it is now only a matter of ten minutes or so before we make our approach...can you make out the serial number on her?"

Jack pulled the binoculars up to his eyes and scanned the hull's side, distracted by the mess of peeling paint and lake debris currently clinging to it. Squinting slightly, he was able to make out the code, recently painted in red high on the hull's side and matching that which was communicated by telegram; CK1589. "Yes!" He shouted enthusiastically. "Our target is now in sight! Can't this thing go any faster?" Jack asked sarcastically, fully knowing this mode of transport was one of the fastest he had had the pleasure to experience.

"I thought you'd never ask!" Henry replied. He then deftly increased the throttle to the boat's fullest output, the occupants of the boat momentarily losing their solid footing as the engine jerked to maximum capacity.

Steadying himself in response to the increased speed, Jack held his sights on the runaway freighter and said a silent prayer for their rescue mission that was about to reach its pinnacle. "Hold on Elizabeth." Jack whispered to himself, all the while thinking that he would never let her out of his sight again. "Just hold on a little longer. I'm coming for you."


	13. Chapter 13

Chapter Thirteen

The sun was high in the sky as it warmed Elizabeth's face. A light breeze brushed up against her cheek as she looked upon the sight before her in awe. Jack was standing in front of her, smiling his incredibly infectious dimpled smile, as he held both of her hands in his. "Are you ready to see our new home, Elizabeth?" He asked.

She was instantly transported to a grassy field where she stood in front of a log home. A large wrap-around porch encased the dwelling as two large windows had been installed on its south face, the bright sunlight beaming off the reflective surface. "You built this?" Was all Elizabeth could muster, the overwhelming emotions of such a significant gesture filling her heart with love.

"Yes. For you. For us. For what is yet to come. Do you like it?" Jack asked, a worried look clouding his features as feared a negative reaction.

"I love it Jack. Almost as much as I love you." Elizabeth spoke directly as she pulled Jack closer and wrapped her arms around his torso, her lips inching closer to his as she felt the familiar sense of butterflies swirling around in her stomach. As her lips brushes lightly against his, a deep shiver pulled her out of her reverie.

Elizabeth opened her eyes and realized she and Faith were huddled close together, each other's arms wrapped tightly around the other in an effort to stem their incessant shivering and conserve any body heat they had left. Each was unfortunate enough to be apprehended wearing clothing unsuitable for the damp coldness they were currently exposed to. As cold as she was, Elizabeth quickly shook off the residual effect of her daydream and refocused her attentions to be intently attuned to the slightest of sounds indicating movement outside of their current prison hole. It didn't help that Faith had suffered frequently from the nauseating effects of seasickness and, between episodes of soothing Faith as she violently retched from an upset stomach, she let herself envision ways in which she could free them from this confinement. Luckily for Elizabeth, she was born with sea legs, as her dad frequently boasted to friends when she was young, so she did not have to adjust herself to the ways of the water.

After what seemed like hours, muffled footsteps were heard approaching the door to their room. Elizabeth and Faith assumed their prone positions and pretended they were still immobilized with the ropes tied to their hands and legs. The door slowly creaked open and Elizabeth opened her eyes to a slit to follow the movements of the person hesitantly entering, her breathing all but stopped as she waited for the perfect opportunity to make her move. Dr. Hughes approached Faith first, kneeling down in front of the Nurse as his hand made its way into his inner jacket pocket and Elizabeth decided it was time to act.

She sprung up suddenly and wrapped a long piece of severed rope around Dr. Hughes neck and pulled with all her might. "Faith...now!" Elizabeth screamed as a hoarse whisper and was relieved with Faith reached into the doctor's pocket and pulled out a fully-loaded syringe full of liquid. As Elizabeth struggled to maintain a hold on the rope and was jostled around by Dr. Hughes trying to free himself while jerking from side to side with a croaking screams, Faith took the needle and confidently inserted it into the doctor's neck.

As the plunger was depressed and the liquid disappeared, the doctor completely relaxed and dropped to the floor. "I hope you feel that tomorrow, you sick fool!" Faith spat out, clearly disturbed by his presence.

Elizabeth released her hold on the rope and backed away from the form lying still on the damp floor, her eyes wild with the fury that was blazing in her soul since awakening to her current situation. She instinctively knelt down beside the diminutive figure and checked his person for any other items that could help them with their escape. In the same inner pocket, Elizabeth pulled out another tube of serum and handed it to Faith. "Keep this...we may still need it." As she was about to stand up, her hands felt upon a cold hard metal and she smiled in great relief as she pulled out a pistol from a holster wrapped around Dr. Hughes midsection.

"Oh my goodness Elizabeth!" Faith exclaimed. "Is it loaded?"

Elizabeth nervously rotated the weapon awkwardly in her hands, unsure as to how to properly check such a thing. "I've never held a gun before Faith. What do I do?"

Faith quickly reached out to take the gun into her hands and replied. "Here. I'll show you. Just pull this back and take out the barrel, like this…" At which point they both stared happily at the fully loaded gun currently within their grasp. "And to shoot, just do this…" Faith again demonstrated to her former patient a quick lesson in how to handle a gun.

Faith finished and looked Elizabeth directly in her eyes as she silently handed the fully-loaded pistol back to her hands. "What should we do now?" She asked.

"Now we get this ship turned around...And find Charles." Elizabeth instructed, her confidence reaching levels she had never expected out of herself.

The two women carefully approached the open door and made their way out into the narrow corridor. Elizabeth grabbed Faith's hand to guide her down the eerie hall, her finger pushed to her lips to indicate that Faith was not to make any sound. Elizabeth watched as Faith's eyes widened in fright, a deep questioning emanating from her stare. Elizabeth responded with a whisper. "Don't worry. I know where I'm going. I've been on this ship before, when I was a little girl...this is the way to the bridge." With the pistol securely snug in her grasp, Elizabeth led Faith on tiptoes into the darkness at the end of the corridor.

The Gracious Lady made her stealth approach next to the hulking freighter now branded CK1589, and slowed her motor to match speeds with the lumbering steel work-horse and bring the occupants in line with the stern of the massive cargo ship. The ship's steel ladder was a welcoming sight to the three men currently staring up at the floating giant, and all gawked silently at the task they were now required to perform.

"I'll go first." Jack eagerly commanded as he jumped onto the speed boat's bow and steadied himself, carefully balancing as the boat was moved by the natural waves of the moment. He breathed in a steady stream of air and leapt deftly over the expanse of black water, solidly grasping the metal rungs before finding solid footing beneath his body. He looked back towards his companions and nodded before carefully climbing the remainder of the ladder.

Henry and Bill worked quickly to tie the Gracious Lady safely to the stern before following Jack up to the top of the ship where they proceeded to conceal themselves behind a stack of crates to make plans for their next move.

Bill Avery was the first to speak. "I say we spread out. Separate. This is a big ship and we need to cover as much ground as possible. And quickly. I'll go below and check out the cargo holds...Henry, you scan the deck. And Jack…." Bill looked knowingly at Jack, realizing his partner should be given the best chances of finding Elizabeth. "You go above...to the bridge. Find the captain...turn the ship around…" Bill's commands were cutoff as the deck beneath their feet slowed suddenly and jeopardized each man's footing on solid ground. A loud creaking was followed by a handful of empty crates crashing to the ground around them and they narrowly avoided being hit, the rubble from the destroyed wooden boxes laying prone on the exposed deck. They each steadied themselves and looked up, confused, realizing that the ship had abruptly been brought to a halt.

Bill continued. "Okay officers...let's go." The men turned to fulfill their orders while Jack bounded ahead, taking the staircase steps in twos as he frantically raced to the Captain's quarters near the bow of the ship.

Dusk was quickly descending on the lake as Elizabeth stood strong, purposefully aiming the pistol she had recently acquired squarely at the grey-haired Captain currently eyeing her up. Faith stood stoically by her side, the clear liquid tranquilizer held at the ready in her left hand.

"You may have stopped this ship, Captain, but now you must turn it around...head back to Hamilton. Now!" Elizabeth commanded, sharply raising her voice to emphasize her desperation.

The Captain remained immobile and showed no signs of movement, as was being requested. "Or what, pretty lady? You gonna to shoot me?" The Captain looked at her coolly and regarded her as if he were staring at a child who was attempting to initiate a game of Cops N' Robbers.

Elizabeth stood her ground, serious in her intent. "If it comes to it Captain, then yes...I…will." It was then Elizabeth recognized the eyes of the Captain shifting their focus to the space behind her while simultaneously hearing the thump of her partner crumple to the ground. Elizabeth looked to Faith's form lying on the wooden planks and immediately felt the gun being ripped from her grasp and being flung to the ground as she was spun around suddenly, forced to look into the eyes of a monster. The very monster currently trying to abduct her from her life and force her into a life of servitude for his own benefit.

"Charles…" Elizabeth whispered. A foreboding sense of imminent dread forming in the pit of her stomach.

"The one and only, my dear. Now...you know how much I detest it when you cross me, Elizabeth. This would be exponentially easier if you would just go along…"

"Never!" Elizabeth spat back. "I will never go along with anything you have planned for me Charles. Now...release me...let us go. You'll never get away with this...it's better if you just let me and Faith take the emergency boat...that way you can proceed with your plans, escape to the Caymans..we'll both get what we want!"

"The only thing I want, Elizabeth, is to see William Thatcher's favourite daughter suffer at my hands." Charles pushed the barrel of the gun deep into her gut as his face came within millimeters of hers, his breath rancid and reeking of evil. He then turned his attention to the Captain and indicated with a nod of his head that he was to leave the vicinity immediately. "Captain...go wait for me in my personal quarters. Consider a bonus to your fee adequate compensation for this slight delay."

The ship's Captain nodded in agreement and quietly left the bridge as his boss-of-the-moment continued his hold on his personal conquest.

Elizabeth began to thrash helplessly in Charles' grip as she realized any plans she had to escape were being quickly wiped away this recent turn of events. She felt helpless and somewhat stupid that she had been so close to getting her way but, her inability to properly handle a gun and sound the least bit intimidating had squashed any ideas of breaking free of her kidnapper. As Elizabeth frantically tried to distance herself from Charles, she was stopped abruptly when she heard the sound of _his_ voice.

"Let her go Charles." It was Jack. He was standing in the doorway, his pistol expertly trained on the man currently holding the woman he loved.

Charles deftly swung around to meet his accoster while holding Elizabeth firmly in front of his body, his own gun moved to her temple. She winced slightly as the cold pistol met the delicate skin of her forehead.

Elizabeth's eyes were wide with alarm as she looked upon the man she had been praying to see since regaining her memories, relief at the sight of him momentarily surpassed any fear she was feeling. She instantly recognized the effects of fatigue and worry that had etched themselves into his facial features, a manly ruggedness that, in other circumstances, would have caused her to swoon with longing. She maintained her gaze on the man she so desperately loved and felt a familiar sense of guilt emerging whenever her actions put him in danger. A quick calculation made her realize this was the third time Jack had rode in to try and rescue her from being held at gunpoint. This episode, she figured, trumped them all.

"I said...let her go Charles. We can end this civilly, or...not. The choice is yours." Jack calmly spoke.

"Or what, Jack? You'll shoot me? I'll never let you win. Don't you realize that? Elizabeth will never be yours…" Charles exclaimed as he attempted to make his way for the door, Elizabeth's hair wound tightly around his giant hands as he dragged her behind him. Elizabeth sensed a change in Charles demeanor as she realized Jack's appearance had not been expected.

Jack maintained his aim on Charles and stood his ground in the doorway, trying to prevent Charles from exiting the room. Charles stopped, the barrel of his gun still affixed to Elizabeth's temple, and spitefully looked upon Jack's aim. It was in this instance that Jack recognized the pure evil that existed within Charles' soul and it dawned on him how far this man was willing to go.

"Take a good look at your Mountie, Elizabeth." Charles whispered into her ear. "Cause it's the last time you will ever see him…" Quickly, Charles moved his gun from Elizabeth's head and fired a shot.

"Jack!" Elizabeth screamed as she saw Jack's body recoil and stumble backwards, his hand clutched to his side as his body hit the deck solidly. With acrid smoke hanging in the air, she writhed and thrashed herself free from Charles' grip, the adrenaline of the moment providing her with a new-found strength. She hysterically cried and fell to the ground, conveniently falling upon the pistol that had been knocked out of her hand and made sure to conceal the weapon with her once-beautiful dressing gown.

"Not so fast, Elizabeth." Charles chimed in as Elizabeth looked up at her assailant, the black depths of the pistol staring her down.

Elizabeth, while normally one to panic in these situations, felt an eerie calm descend upon her as she looked between Jack's still form laying on the deck and the gun currently honed in her direction. Carefully, with her hand behind her, she reached for the pistol concealed under her gown and solidly grasped the handle...and took a deep breath.

"Get up!" Charles commanded, spit flying out of his mouth.

Elizabeth sat still, unmoved by his charge. "Never!...Do you hear me...Never will I ever listen to a word you say...ever...again!" It was then Elizabeth pulled the pistol from behind her back and quickly took aim and shot, the force from the gun's discharge knocking her back a couple of steps.

As the smoke cleared Elizabeth forced herself to look in the direction of her aim and was shocked to see Charles slumped on the floor a few feet from Jack, his right hand covered in blood as it clutched his left shoulder. "You bitch!" Was all he could muster, the pain obliterating any holds he had reality.

Elizabeth stood in shock looking at Charles writhing in pain and felt a surrealness envelop her as she felt glued to the floor, unable to move. She felt the brush of Faith arm as she watched the Nurse approach Charles and insert the needle she had been carrying, into his neck and dispense the clear liquid. "There…" Faith spoke softly. "That should shut the bastard up for a while."

Hearing Faith speak jolted Elizabeth into her present reality and she flew to Jack's side, desperately trying to look at the severity of his wound. Faith knelt down across from Elizabeth and confidently assessed his vitals as Elizabeth grabbed his hand and imploringly looked at him, tears streaming down her cheeks.

"You can't leave me now Jack!" Elizabeth cried. "Don't you dare, please...we've come too far...please!" She desperately pleaded, her voice hoarse with grief.

"His pulse is faint...but still there…" Faith interjected as she resumed the pressure on Jack's midsection to staunch the flow of blood. "We need to get him to a hospital, stat.. and...him, as well...but I'm not as concerned about him." She casually added as she indicated towards Charles who was now passed out on the floor.

Footsteps alerted the two women to the presence of Bill and Henry, who now stood in the doorway, a look of shock written on their faces. The Captain stood behind them in handcuffs, a clearly disturbed look written on his face.

Henry pushed the Captain into the bridge and commanded loudly. "Get this thing turned around...NOW! Set the course for Hamilton."

Elizabeth remained oblivious to the flurry of activity around her as she continued to squeeze Jack's hand, the tears from her eyes falling in a torrent stream onto Jack's shirt. "Hold on Jack! Please...for me. Don't let go." Elizabeth squeezed her eyes shut and lay her head on his chest as she whispered pleas to God to spare this man's life.


	14. Chapter 14

Chapter Fourteen

Elizabeth was impatiently lying in her hospital bed, the same one she had been forced to leave a day prior. Although it had felt like years since she had last been here, Elizabeth welcomed the reassuring presence modern medicine facilitated and felt comfort within the sterile, white walls.

Her thoughts were consumed with Jack's wellbeing as she had spent the past ten hours in constant, silent prayer, pleading with the man upstairs to spare his life. Elizabeth's stomach recoiled as she thought about the two tortuous hours it took to return the freighter back to Hamilton, that time spent clinging to an unconscious Jack while Faith diligently worked to maintain his life. Although it would have been faster to take her father's speed boat, both Bill and Henry advised her that attempting to move Jack could potentially cause more problems with his injury and cause further harm to the men tasked with carrying Jack down a steep ladder. Faith had also agreed with the two and expressed her confidence that she could maintain his vitals for the slow trek back to home port.

Looking at the clock, Elizabeth started to panic as she had yet to be provided an update on Jack's surgery that was meant to locate the bullet and stitch him shut. With each ticking of the minute's hand, Elizabeth's heart sank a little more, worrying that it meant something had gone horribly wrong. Unable to bear the suspense any longer, she hopped out of bed and walked out of the room to the nurses counter and was shocked to find Faith standing, fully uniformed, behind the helm.

"Faith! What on earth are you doing? You should be a patient yourself, what, with all you've been through!" Elizabeth exclaimed.

"Oh don't worry about me, Elizabeth. Although, I do agree it was quite a rough ride yesterday, but trust me when I say it was nothing compared to some of the double-shifts I've covered in the past. I'm just glad I'm standing here today rather than still holed up in that stinking ship." She winked one eye and looked at Elizabeth warmly. "How are you holding up?"

Elizabeth looked to the ground, fearing if she let herself honestly answer that question, it would emerge as nothing but sobs and tears. "I'm physically fine. But...you need to help me out Faith. I'd like to know how Jack is...I _need_ to see him…" Her hands were balled up in fists in front her her.

Faith quickly cut her off. "I'll go check with Dr. Baker and find out...just give me a moment." Faith scurried quickly from behind the counter and bounded down the hall.

Elizabeth remained still as she leaned on the counter and let the past day's events succinctly sink into her mind. Much of what transpired on the slow trek home flew by in a surreal blur, but, once arriving at the hospital Elizabeth was forced to listen to shocking updates from Henry as he revealed what, exactly, had transpired since yesterday afternoon.

The biggest blow to Elizabeth's sanity, besides having no idea about Jack's current medical status, was being informed that her father was currently being held in custody by the Mounties. As for Charles, even though he had been admitted to hospital, charges had been formally laid against him for kidnapping and his involvement in the counterfeiting ring, so Elizabeth felt much relief that he would not be able to cause any further damage to her life. And, as much as it pained her to think such thoughts, Elizabeth was relieved Charles was not going to die. She wasn't prepared to live with the burden of having taken someone's life, even if that life belonged to a psychotic monster as Charles had become.

Her father's situation, on the other hand, tore her to pieces as a small part of her didn't know if she could fully trust him and believe in his complete innocence. Even though her mother, who had spent the past couple of hours by Elizabeth's bedside, proclaimed as such, Elizabeth had been through enough hell in the past week that she no longer had complete faith in him. After all, her father had been hoping for a long while that she would eventually marry Charles, or someone in their same societal standing, and recalled he had even played along with Charles' sick charade of instilling false memories from the past year of her life.

Elizabeth took a deep breath and rested her head on her arms, fully prepared to sleep here, if need be, until Faith returned with an update. As she closed her eyes and said another silent prayer, she heard two sets of footsteps quickly approach from the hall. Elizabeth snapped her head up and relief washed over her as she saw Faith leading the way for Dr. Baker.

"Please Dr. Baker...please tell me Jack's alright. Is the surgery over yet?" Elizabeth looked at him expectantly, eager for a reply.

"Constable Thornton is now resting comfortably, or about as comfortable as one can after sustaining such an injury…"

Elizabeth promptly cut off the Doctor's reply with a joyous screech and jumped into his arms to give him a big hug. "Oh my goodness! That's the best news!." She sheepishly removed her arms from being wrapped around Dr. Baker's large body and stood back, a large smile still glued to her face. "I'm sorry Doctor, but I can't contain my happiness. How serious are his injuries?"

Dr. Baker smiled affectionately at Elizabeth's reaction and chuckled slightly. " _Fairly_ serious. Luckily, the bullet tore clear through but it did manage to puncture his spleen. That's where things got a little delicate and took as long as they did because not only did we have to repair the damage to his organ, we had to give the Constable an emergency blood transfusion. He lost a lot of blood before arriving here and it took us two attempts to find a type of blood that his body would not reject."

Elizabeth's stomach instantly turned as she recalled the pungent, metallic smell from the thick red liquid as it spread out on the wooden planks of the freighter's floor. Elizabeth had never seen so much blood at one time, in her entire life, and she prayed that she would never have to see such a sight again. "And _now_ , Doctor Baker, where is Jack?"

"I am pleased to report that he has been admitted to our recovery ward, on the third floor. Once he awakens, we can assess his vitals and determine how long he will need to stay in our care. I do need to warn you, Miss Thatcher, that...even though surgery went well and he is resting comfortably, he isn't out of the woods yet." Dr. Baker gave Elizabeth a serious look and then smiled.

"Well...when can I see him? I _need_ to see him Doctor...you don't understand…" Elizabeth desperately pleaded.

Dr. Baker turned to Faith and spoke. "Nurse Carter, please escort Miss Thatcher to Constable Thornton's room. I'm sure she's the best medicine a man in his circumstances could use right now…" Dr. Baker then turned to Elizabeth. "And you, young lady...You're not out of the woods yourself. I need you to drink a lot of water and get your rest. I'll check on you later today…" Again, he smiled at Elizabeth and turned towards the exit.

Elizabeth instantly turned to Faith and exclaimed with a giddy smile on her face. "You heard the good doctor...take me to Jack!"

Elizabeth took a moment and stood outside the recovery room and silently peered through the window, her eyes taking in the sleeping form laying still on the crisp white linens. As excited as Elizabeth was to see Jack, she had not been prepared to see him in such a vulnerable state. She quickly recalled that she had never seen Jack so lifeless and close to the edge of death as she was seeing now and it was a stark contrast to the invincible hero she had built him up in her mind to be. Elizabeth instantly felt guilty for holding him so high on a pedestal and had to remind herself that Jack was human, just like everyone else, and was as susceptible to danger too.

She slowly opened the door and approached the bed, her slippers softly padding on the gleaming tiled floors, and reached out to grab his hand. Relief flooded over her as she felt a warmth coursing through his veins, a warmth that hadn't been there when she had been pleading for his life on the floor of the ship hours earlier. She smiled softly to herself as she regarded his features and found him to look exactly as she had been picturing him in her mind's eye since leaving Hope Valley, and secretly wished he would look up at her right now and grace her with his infectious grin.

Unfortunately, he remained still and oblivious to her arrival.

Elizabeth scanned the sparsely furnished room and realized there was nowhere for her to sit and watch over Jack until he awoke. She brought her hand up to her mouth to stifle a large yawn when she had a somewhat scandalous idea pop up in her head and paused a moment to consider her options. One mere glance at Jack's peaceful sleeping form instantly stopped her indecisiveness and Elizabeth carefully crawled onto the bed and gingerly tucked herself around his right side. She reached for the spare blanket folded on the footrail and brought it up around her shoulder as her left arm reached up to rest her hand on top of Jack's chest, her senses seeking out the subtle reverbrations from the beats of his heart. As she nestled her head against his shoulder and surrendered to the fatigue rising up in her body she felt the elation of complete contentment, much like the night she had spent with Jack in the cabin. The night he had proposed marriage.

"Elizabeth." Jack whispered hoarsely, his chin moving over Elizabeth's temple as she was pulled out of her doze.

Elizabeth carefully propped her head up to make eye contact as her left hand moved up to cup Jack's closely-scruffed cheek. "Jack! She replied with a wide smile.

"Are you okay?" Jack asked, groggily, his ability to speak greatly affected by the residual effects of the ether used during his operation. "I was so worried about you...and...I…"

Elizabeth leaned in slowly and gently placed her lips to his, subtly offering him confirmation of her wellness through this intimate gesture. She felt Jack relax to her nearness and her body tingled with a rejuvenating lightness as she realized how starved for his touch she had been since their separation. Elizabeth reassuringly gazed into Jack's eyes and spoke. "I'm good Jack. Nobody hurt me...I'm fine."

Jack released a relieved sigh as his eyelids dropped down to half slits. "Stay…" He whispered.

"I'm not going anywhere, Jack." Elizabeth responded and quickly kissed his lips again before nestling her head next to his shoulder. Her left hand automatically placed itself over his chest where his heart beat strongly, a celebration to its reunion with its other half.


End file.
